Return From Darkness
by roguejedi89
Summary: A temporarily blind human finds herself in a mutant breeding facility. She is paired with our favorite clawed mutant and slowly regains her sight along with a deeper relationship with her cellmate. LoganOC, rated for swearing, violence and lemons.
1. Dark Beginnings

It was dark

**Dark Beginnings**

Disclaimer: I own the story, Selene, the doctors, generals, etc. Logan/Wolverine, all Marvel characters and all things found in the Marvel universe belong to Marvel and the outstanding Stan Lee. This disclaimer applies to the entire story, as I don't plan on becoming CEO of Marvel before its completion.

AN: This fic is a LoganOC. I don't plan on involving any of the other X-men at this time, except for the occasional reference. Reviews are welcomed and encouraged. Flames are discouraged. Saying, "you suck" doesn't help anybody, but constructive criticism is always welcome and taken into consideration. I'd love to hear your ideas (who knows, maybe you'll think of something I haven't considered yet and I'll throw it in the story! But you won't know unless you review!).

"Speech"

_Thought_

It was dark. It was so dark. It had been dark for so long. She missed the color green, birdsong; the soft summer breeze- was it even summer anymore? - anything more than the reverberations of hollow footsteps in cold, empty halls. One of the guards tugged her along as she tried to resist, tried anything to prevent what she knew was inevitable. Her breath became ragged as she neared her destination; she knew all too well of the pain that awaited her when her journey came to its end. She would have cried out, but she knew it was no use. Even if her parched throat could scream for help, there was not a soul in these empty halls who would come to her rescue. She was alone. She was so alone.

Days? Weeks? Minutes? How long had she been here? In the midst of the confusion, torment, and violation, there was no sense of time.

The guards suddenly stopped. She heard a creak as a heavy door opened. Her urge to scream was renewed as she crossed the threshold. She knew what that creak meant. Once again, she would be strapped down to a cold table, hands cloaked in cold rubber would probe every inch of her, needles would pierce her skin and fill her veins with their terrible concoctions, and the archaic speech of faceless doctors would pierce through her dark perception. This day, two voices stood out in particular.

"What's wrong with her?" A harsh voice demanded.

"Nothing permanent, sir, our task force was less-than-gentle in her retrieval and she was temporarily blinded." A more timid one replied.

"She's been like this all this time?" The harsh voice grew more frustrated.

"Yes, sir, but not to worry, the surgical procedure went off splendidly and she should begin to regain her sight in the next few weeks. Her brain just needs to remember how to see." The timid voice explained, hurrying to cover his tracks.

"Fine. Is she ready, then?"

"Nearly, sir. We will have completed her final introductory treatment within the next four hours."

"Very well. You know what to do."

"Sir, are we sure about this?"

"We've been over this, doctor. Don't question me again." The voice was eerily calm.

The horrendously creaky door opened again as the severe voice took his leave.

"You heard the general, let's finish up and bring her over to number 458-25-243."

Another needle and more gloved hands passed over her flesh. Fire filled her veins and lit up her every nerve in unending torment. Even as these diabolical devices pulled away she was granted no reprieve; the worst was yet to come. She knew not what it was, whether some electricity, radiation, or unknown terror, but it magnified all her pains tenfold. Every bone cried out against the waves of anguish, every muscle was strained as it tried to pull loose from the agony, every organ churned and protested as the torture continued. After an eternity of unbearable pain the torment finally ceased, leaving a throbbing, seemingly permanent ache in her every fiber. A moment later, exhaustion overtook her. The pain faded all too slowly as silence invaded her perception. There, on the cold operating table, experiment number 20159 slipped into oblivion.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sound crept back into her awareness. She was standing again. Or, upright, at least. Her muscles were strained beyond use, every ounce of her energy had been used in the arduous experimentation; she could not even stand on her own. Thus, a pair of guards were hoisting her by her arms and carrying her through the frigid halls.

The troop stopped in front of a substantial metal door that creaked open with an even fiercer shriek than the lab door she had been accustomed to. The guards were silent as they shoved her through into a closet-sized enclosure. Lacking the guards' strength she leaned against the wall opposite the door for support. The door slammed shut behind her and she started to panic. This was not her usual cell. Was this a new torture they had devised for her? To trap her in this God-forsaken box? Her claustrophobic fears were short lived as the vary wall she leaned upon was revealed to be another impregnable metal door.

The door slid open and she, once again lacking support, fell to the hard floor of the enclosure. The door slammed shut behind her and struggled to sit up and attempt to survey her new cell. It was a welcome change to her previous cell. It was much warmer and lacked the maddening perpetual dripping noise that had tormented her from an unseen pipe. She assumed that it was small and sparsely furnished, perhaps twelve by twelve feet and holding nothing more than a small bed, toilet, and crude sink, as her old cell had been. She sat crumpled on the ground for a few moments before a shuffling noise caught her attention from across the room. She was not alone.

Slow, deep breathing was accompanied by a nearly silent footstep. The figure was barefoot and, to her terror, making its way to her side of the cell. She tried to scream as it came toward her, but it was no use. She flinched as thick, hairy arms snaked their way around her body, lifted her from the ground, and pressed her against a warm, firm chest. She lost herself for half a moment as she reveled in the contact; it had been so long since anything not covered in rough cloth or foul rubber had graced her skin. Realizing her situation, she tried to struggle, but she was still too weak. Her light slaps and kicks were barely bothersome as the figure carried her to the bed. The instant he took his arms away she tried to curl up in an attempt to defend herself from whatever debauchery the figure surely had in store. She waited several moments, but when no attack came she turned her head and tried to discern his motive.

Rushing water greeted her senses and a moment later a small dish was gently placed in her hands. She drank greedily, no longer caring about whether or not she could trust the source of the cool water and reveling in its sweet taste. After a few moments her quenched throat managed to scrape out a few short words.

"Who are you?" she rasped. Her voice shocked her. It had been so long since she had heard her own voice, yet the sound that passed through her lips was disturbingly different from that which had bubbled forth in laughter and song a few months before.

The figure took the now empty bowl and refilled it.

"My name is Logan. I'm a prisoner here, same as you." He replied as he handed her the bowl again.

Used to relying on her ears by now, she concentrated on the contours of his voice to gather information about her new cellmate. It was low and coarse, the voice of a soldier who had seen more destruction than any should be subjected to, quiet, the voice of a friend who had loved and lost more than any deserved, yet strong, the voice of a man who still held more spirit than any under such conditions had the right.

She started to ask another question, but her concentration wavered. Her energy was spent. She tried to keep a grip on the dish in her hand, but it fell hopelessly to the floor. She began to treble violently as she fell back onto the hard floor.

"Whoa, kid." Logan started as he jumped up to catch her. "Come on, stay with me," he continued as he shifted her back onto the bed. Her convulsions receded as he covered her in the thick blanket and she seemed to drift into a more serene sleep.

"Huh, I didn't even get your name." He muttered as he turned away from the bed. The moment he turned his back he heard a shuffle and a sleepy moan.

"Selene," she mumbled as she drifted off.

"Selene, then," a small smile made its way across his face as he walked back across the cell and settled in a corner for his night's rest, ready to answer the many questions that the morning would undoubtedly bring.


	2. Illuminating the Situation

AN: _Thoughts_ will be in italics and will be Selene's thoughts unless otherwise noted. So, if you see a sentence that's in italics out of nowhere, assume it's Selene's thoughts. Also, italics will sometimes be used for _emphasis_. Don't worry, y'all are smart enough to follow what's going on, so don't worry yourself about it too much, m'kay? :)

_Voices._

"Push another unit of Tauwaretamine."

_Whose voices?_

"Pulse stable"

_What are they talking abo- God, not again!_

Pain shot through her as the drugs took effect.

"Bring her to the tank."

_No. No, please God, no no no no. _

She was lifted from the cold metal table and dropped into a small glass tank. A water-filled coffin. All manner of needle and blade pierced her skin. She managed to scream. After months of silent, hoarse torment, she was finally able to scream. The primal sound echoed from the metal walls as doctors struggled to silence her. As the others searched for a gas or needle, one brought his hands to her shoulders and began to shake her like a rag doll.

"Wake up, kid. Wake up!"

_Kid? Since when have they called me kid?_

Selene woke with a start as the lingering terror of the dream filled her mind. Even the doctor's hands still grasped her shoulders. _God, those hands are real!_ Quickly gathering what little strength she had, she curled her right fist and thrashed out at the attacker's face. Warmth spread over her fingers as cartilage crunched beneath her fist. Her assailant released her shoulders and stumbled backwards, cursing heavily.

"Christ, kid, that musta been one hell of a nightmare."

_What the hell? Who the hell is this?_

"Who the hell are you?" she rasped, her voice still sore from the scream.

"Logan. I'm Logan. Don't you remember, you got thrown in here with me yesterday? We're cellmates." He responded.

"Logan…Logan? God, you're real. Ha! You're real!" Selene exclaimed.

"Huh, I'm glad you remember." Logan said with a sigh of relief that was directed more at his quickly-mending nose.

"I'm sorry, it's just that, it's been so long since I've talked to anyone. The only human contact I've had has been with guards and doctors, and they're not exactly conversational." Selene continued as she slowly drew the covers from her legs and got to her feet. She didn't make it very far, her knees gave in before she even stood upright and she stumbled back onto the bed. "Looks like I've got a way to go before I'm back to normal."

"If that's you when you're feelin' down-and-out, I don't want to see you when you're 100. That's one mean right hook you've got." Logan chuckled

"Oh, right….sorry about that. I was having a nightmare." Selene shuddered as she wiped the cold sweat from her brow. "It was something that happened about a week ago. The doctors were poking and prodding me and all of a sudden they dumped me into this-"

"Let me guess, the water tank?" Logan growled.

"Yeah. How did you?" Selene trailed off.

"I've been here for about three years, give or take, and they have me here for the same reason that they have you. I've seen my fair share of pokin', proddin', and that damn tank."

"Wait, you know what's going on here? God, I've wondered for so long! How could someone treat a fellow human like that? And _why_?"

Logan sighed and slid down to the hard floor, getting himself comfortable for the lengthy explanation he was heading into. "Alright. My name is Logan, I have gone by the codename Wolverine for at least the last twenty-five years, and I am a Class 5 Feral Mutant. Now, I know that classification makes no sense to you, but it's basically the reason you're here. Mutants are split up into different categories; you have your Telekinetics, your Elementals, your Psychics, your Fliers, a thousand other categories, and your Ferals. If you looked it up in a dictionary, it would generally say that Ferals are mutants who act like animals. And of course, since we _act _like animals, that's more than enough reason for them to _treat_ us like them," Logan growled to nobody in particular.

"Mutants are also categorized by power class. Class 1 Ferals have animalistic appearances, and that's about it. Class 2 has the fur and a few improved physical abilities; faster, stronger, what have you. Class 3 will be human-looking with advanced physical abilities and senses. Class 4 will be the same as a Class 3 but with an advanced healing factor that can vary in power, and Class 5 is a Class 4 with one modification; the Feral Side. Is your head spinning yet, kid?" He asked as he shifted positions.

Selene was still processing the information and did not respond for several moments, but eventually shook her head.

"The Feral Side is basically when a Class 5 goes berserk. All of their abilities are enhanced, their judgment becomes clouded, and they act purely on instinct; until something snaps them out of it, they lose all that makes them human and become nearly-unstoppable, unthinking fighting machines."

Selene swallowed hard, but continued to listen eagerly.

"Well, you can guess that 'unstoppable, unthinking fighting machines' sounds pretty good to military types, so they're trying to round us all up and turn us into super soldiers. Apparently, this is pretty hard, since mutants become rarer as their Class increases. Class 1's are everywhere, but Class 5's are pretty much impossible to come by. So what do the sick fucks decide to do? Make more. That's where you come in. Class 5's are not only hard to come by, but hard to trap. They can't get enough Class 5's to breed them together, so they have to rely on humans to make up the difference. From what I've overheard, there're a few humans who have some special kind of DNA or chromosome or some shit that is pretty rare that lets a Class 5 and that human make another Class 5 instead of 'diluting the mutant strain,'" He stopped and waited for Selene to react.

She sat and stared into space, too overwhelmed by the situation to respond.

"I know it's harsh, but that's why you're here. All I know about _who_ is keeping us is that they're a secret military branch. I don't know the _where_, exactly, only that it's pretty far north and really secluded, and as for the _how long_, I can only guess, for you, but I had to go through the 'starter treatment' for about six months before they moved me in here to this 'more home-y environment' and cut back on the experimentation, so I guess that you've been here about that long." He finished.

Selene was silent for a long time. She had a lot to think over. Her life was taken from her so that she could be coupled with a stranger to produce mega-spawn who would be sent off to fight and die in a berserker rage? _Fuck_. After a while she managed a question.

"Home-y?"

Logan knitted his brows together. "Yeah, apparently a bigger bed and a more comfortable temperature make the female more at ease, so she'll do better at keeping the bun in her oven. That's probably why we're together, too. Having us get to know each other and letting me stay with you is supposed to make you calmer than if they did it all artificially, I guess."

Selene was quiet again. She was not sure how to handle everything that had been presented to her, but one brighter thought crept into her thoughts.

"Well, I am glad that it's warmer, and you say they're going to cut down on the experiments and all that, which is great, but that doesn't really matter to me."

Logan looked on in confusion.

"I'm just glad to be with another person. Those endless days sitting in the blackness with only a leaky pipe for company, being cold and alone, no food or water for days on end, it almost drove me mad." She took a steadying breath and continued, "That's what matters to me, Logan, to be with someone. I've spent too much of my life alone, I don't want to be alone here, too."

Logan managed a small, sad smile, which went unnoticed by the sleeping girl across the room. _She has a point_, he thought, being no stranger to dark nights filled with lonely thoughts.

They were both quiet for the next few minutes, but each knew what the other was thinking. They were both glad to be able to close their eyes and hear the other exhale.


	3. Vision in the Dark

AN: The beginning of this chapter takes place seconds after the end of Chapter 2

AN: The beginning of this chapter takes place seconds after the end of Chapter 2

"Logan, can you come over to me?"

Logan was confused by the request, but he obliged. Selene listened to his soft footsteps until they ceased in front of her. "Sit by me?" She asked, patting the bed next to her, and he complied. "Logan, what color are your eyes?"

He was about to offer some flippant remark before he noticed, her eyes never met his. They the most beautiful hue of silver he had ever seen, but they were glazed over and aimed at his right shoulder.

"Selene, how long have you been blind?"

"Since… since I came here." She replied.

"They're green," he finally said. Her lips curled upward as best they could when she heard him, forming a sad shadow of a smile.

"Green's my favorite color," Selene smiled sadly, seeming to forget her situation as she drifted into the recesses of her memory. "Green was always my favorite because I didn't see much of it when I was young. I lived in this halfway house in New York and there weren't many trees in my neighborhood. I used to sneak out some mornings and climb to the roof of the building. I would look over the rooftops and watch Central Park as the sun turned the darkness into green trees that covered romantic, shady paths. I always dreamed that I would one day live in a house with a big backyard; someplace in the country, away from rush and bustle of the dirty, soulless city."

"Yeah, the Park was always a place I could go to clear my head." Logan agreed, thinking also of his own fondness of the great outdoors.

"I miss the wind, the sun on my face, the smell of rain." She continued. Logan closed his eyes, digging through the years he had been trapped, trying in vain to remember the smell of July rain. There was a long pause as Selene built up the courage to ask her next question. "Logan, may I….that is, I want to know what you look like." She stuttered timidly as she tentatively lifted one hand toward him. She began to panic when he did not reply, fearing that he would become angry with her at such a request, and expected far worse when she jumped as his hand took hers and guided it to his left shoulder.

Her other hand mirrored the first as it took its place on the other shoulder and they both started to slide down. Her delicate fingertips traced down his warm, solid chest, forming the beginnings of an image in her mind. Through the thin fabric of his shirt, she took note of his well-defined abs before tracing back up to his broad shoulders. They passed well-muscled biceps and forearms to fit perfectly in his own gently hands. She paused for a moment, reveling in the human contact that she had craved for so many months, before she traced back up to his neck.

The stubble on his neck tickled her fingers as it thickened into long, broad sideburns. She felt his warm breath on her hand as she traced her fingers across his smooth lips. Her hands continued their path, taking note of his straight nose, as they crossed his smooth forehead and into thick, soft hair. Logan's eyes fluttered closed with pleasure as she gently raked through his wild mane. She suppressed a smile as her hands ended their journey in his hair's, what she imagined to be rather goofy-looking, points.

"What colo-"

"Black. My hair is black." Logan cut her off. He reached up and took her hands from his hair- it just felt too damn good! - And guided them gently into her lap. He then took a few moments to study _her_ features, surprised that he had not done so earlier. She was neither tall nor short, about 5'5", with shoulder-length auburn hair and very fair skin. Her face was slightly round, graced with deep-set, long-lashed eyes, a small, streamlined nose, and thick lips. His eyes continued downward to take in her other assets. She was not as skinny as fashion dictated, but had rather curvier proportions. Her legs were long and lean, with thicker thighs that led up to wide hips and a toned behind. Her stomach was more slender, accenting her curvy hips with a slim waist that led up to large, shapely breasts. Selene had a bit more meat on her than some, but it was in all the right places; something that struck an arousing nerve in the dark, primal corners of Logan's mind.

His breathing was becoming huskier as he continued to consider her form. She was not one who would grace magazine covers, but Logan found himself more attracted to her than any other woman he could remember. In an attempt to regain some control over his growing urges, he got to his feet and began to cross to the other side of the room. Suddenly, a slender arm reached out and grabbed for his hand. Of course, it missed and collided with the middle of his thigh instead. Selene blushed for a moment, then adjusted her reach and took his hand.

Her voice was a barely audible whisper, even for Logan's exceptional ears, as she said, "stay here. Please? It's so dark for me and I don't want to be alone." Logan's eyes softened as she continued her plea, murmuring even lower now as she continued her mantra, "I don't want to be alone. Don't want to be alone…. It's too dark."

Tears began to rim her eyes as he still denied her an answer. Just at the moment that she gave up and released his hand from her grasp, he turned and gently grasped her shoulders. He guided her back onto the bed, maneuvering her so she faced the wall, before laying himself down behind her, as if shielding her from the damnable door across the room and those who would enter it. He tentatively raised one arm and let it hover over her waist for a moment, deliberating whether or not to drape it across her inviting waist, but a sudden shiver on her part made his decision for him. Whether a primal urge to protect the wanting damsel-in-distress, or his own need for release, he did not know, but his hand came to rest on her waist and slowly slid down to caress her abdomen.

It took only a few moments for Selene's breathing to fall into a familiar rhythm as she drifted off to sleep. Feeling his own wave of drowsiness coming on, Logan took one last deep breath before he drifted off. His nose was buried in her silky tresses as he reveled in her scent. Suddenly, a long-lost memory clicked.

"Damn it all if she doesn't smell like fresh July rain." Logan muttered with a grin as he, too, gave in to the comforting dark of sleep.


	4. First Light

AN: This takes place a few years before Logan would have met Rogue in the original Movieverse

AN: This takes place a few years before Logan would have met Rogue in the original Movieverse. Sorry I forgot to mention that earlier. Also, I have no personal experience with blindness or recovery thereof, so this will not be medically accurate in any way, shape, or form. But it's a fanfiction, practically nothing medical-related in this will be factual.

XXXXXXXXXXX

A terrible shriek echoed through the cell as the outer door opened. Logan, who had been awake for hours already but was reluctant to leave his intimate position, slid quickly and carefully out of the bed and over to the door, relieved that Selene had not woken from her much-needed slumber. It was not until the cold rush met her now-unguarded back that Selene's thoughts drifted to the surface.

_Where's Logan?_ The passing inquiry drifted from her psyche as soon as it had arrived. She was still very much asleep, and having the most peculiar dream.

"We are here to collect number 20159." A voice seemed to call from the other side of the thick door.

"She has a name." Logan growled his reply.

_Ah. There's Logan._ Her dream-self was relieved to know.

"We will not repeat our request." The soldier responded.

Fighting to keep what small manner of control he had, Logan countered, "You forgot the magic word, bub."

Tiring of the game, the guard retorted, "We'll flood the cell with mustard gas in eight seconds if our demands are not met. And I'm not going to say 'please', you mutant mutt."

_So grouchy. I wonder which one of the scientists shoved the ramrod up this one's ass._ Had her brain not been encased in a thick fog, she would have chuckled at her own joke.

Logan's knuckles went bone white as he glanced back at Selene's peaceful, slumbering form. "Take me instead."

_Hahaha. There's my self-sacrificing hero to save the day!_ What a wonderful dream this was!

"Huh, you got lucky, mutie. The doc say's you're due for a dose anyway."

The door screeched again and the dream ended. Selene would have pouted about its lack of a happy ending, but her exhaustion cut her sleep-moping to a minimum.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

_What's that? A bit of dust? A pinprick? A star, maybe?_ It was true, after months of total blackness, one tiny, insignificant speck was shining dully in her 'vision', if that's what she still called it. An iota of a bulls-eye in a field of impenetrable darkness. As she tried to focus on it, make it clearer, it began to shift and grow. The spreading was slow at first, but the tiny crumb of light expanded to a nickel-sized field.

The image, if that's what it was, was blurred beyond comprehension. Not knowing what else to do, Selene slowly brought her hand before her face and started to wave it slowly back and forth. At first, nothing seemed to happen, but then, all of a sudden, everything went black again, but the darkness lifted as quickly as it had come. She waved her hand again, frantically this time, trying to make sure that her hypothesis was correct. The new light that flooded before her alternated as her hand oscillated.

_I can see._ "I can see! Logan, come quickly, I have something amazing to show you!" Her rapturous words were quickly silenced when she was not graced with a response. "Logan? Are you there?"

She slid over the now-cold space on the bed that her cellmate had occupied not hours earlier and stumbled onto the floor. Having slept for the better part of the last two days, her strength was now returned to her and she straightened herself with little difficulty. Her hands hovered in front of her as she slowly made her way around the cell and found nothing for her efforts.

After several minutes of searching the corners of the cell for a possibly-sleeping Logan, Selene leaned on a wall of the cell and realized that she was, once again, alone. Unwilling to admit that his absence would be long-term, she began to distract herself by listing possible reasons for his disappearance. She had gotten to reason number three when a terrible shriek pierced through the room. She stumbled away from her wall, trying to get as far away as she could from the damned troops who always opened that damned door.

The shriek of the inner door was followed by a colossal thud, as if a boulder had been dropped into the cell from a hundred-foot height. As the echoes of the crash faded to silence, Selene's ears were met with a pitiful groan. Selene rushed to Logan's side as the door grated closed once more.

"Logan, what have they done to you?" She choked as she gently stroked his brow.

Logan tried to respond, but was sent into a small coughing fit instead.

Selene was about to ask again, but her face went blank as her memory suddenly roared to life.

_My dream. _"You went in my place?" She asked, shocked.

Logan nodded, recovering from his fit.

"Why would you do something so stupid as to throw yourself to them?" She nearly screamed, her muscles tensed in frustration and tears of rage rimmed her useless eyes.

"Seemed like a good idea at the time." He managed a hoarse whisper.

The genuine reply caught Selene off guard. Her muscles relaxed and the tears in her eyes now represented more admiration and gratitude than frustration.

She wanted to make him more comfortable, but, knowing the limitations of her strength, she knew that she wouldn't be able to guide him to the bed. Not knowing what else to do, she simply guided his head into her lap and continued to stroke his hair.

They sat motionless, each drawing off the other for strength. Much time had passed before Selene managed to whisper, "Thank you."

Logan simply nodded, not willing to break one of the few moments of true comfort he was able to find in his hellish existence.

AN: I apologize for the weird Logan/Selene centric narration that took place in the beginning of this chapter. I was going for a multi-sided 3rd-person perspective. It's kind of confusing, but it's also hard to write from two sides when one thinks it's a dream! Anyway, I hope y'all are enjoying it so far. Thanks for the reviews and keep them up!


	5. A Spark

AN: This update was a little later than I wanted it to be

AN: This post takes place a few weeks after chapter 4. Also, this update was a little later than I wanted it to be. I'm trying to keep it to weekly updates, but I'm not making any promises. Anyway, enjoy and review.

Selene drew a halting breath as he finished the gruesome tale.

_I knew I shouldn't have told her. Dammit!_ Logan clenched his fists, hating himself for the decade-old blood that refused to be washed from his hands that forever classified him as a murderer. He had known all along that Selene was too good for him, and now she knew it too.

Selene steadied herself and prepared to speak. _Here it comes_, he thought gruesomely.

"Logan?" She started.

_Damn, damn, damn._

"Is that what you dream about?"

_Damn, da-…Huh?_ "…Huh?"

"When you have your nightmares, is that what you dream about?"

"Um, sometimes. Sometimes it's stuff from back then, sometimes it's these sick bastards now…but…most of the time it's…you. I have nightmares about what they do to you."

"Oh" was all she managed to say.

They were quiet for a while, each wondering where to wander next in this unfamiliar territory.

"Logan, can I see…_them_?" She asked timidly, indicating his hands.

"What, my claws?" He replied, dumbfounded.

Selene nervously bit her lower lip and nodded.

_SNIKT_.

Despite her best efforts, Selene jumped as the nine-inch blades sprang forth from between his knuckles. Though her vision was improving, the now walnut-sized blur that her field of vision allowed was not nearly enough to understand this most personal part of her cell-mate. She traced her fingertips along the back of his hand, over his knuckles, and down along the cold adamantium blades, prudently avoiding the razor-sharp edges.

"They're beautiful." She whispered.

"Beautiful?" He snorted with disgust, "Selene, these things are weapons! They've cut out men's hearts before and might do it again. I'm a murderer, Selene! How can you just sit there, knowing that? How can you sit there with that expression on your face? I'm an animal!" He brought his claws up, terrifyingly slowly, to rest on the side of her neck. "How do you know I won't run you through?" He almost whispered.

"Because I know you better than that." She said.

He growled, reluctant to listen to the words that he so desperately wanted to hear.

"You're not a murderer. It's not murder to protect yourself or the ones you love."

His snarl faltered; he was losing his grip on his protective rage.

"You're not an animal, Logan. You are my knight, my protector. You are a man."

Logan slowly retracted his claws. His protective walls finally down, there was no longer anything standing between the two cellmates.

_I will never deserve this_, he thought as he reached for her chin. He wanted her. He _needed_ her. He needed her body, mind, and soul. Every animalistic fiber of his being was screaming out to take her hard, to make her his with as much force as he could muster. But she had called him her protector. And he would protect her from the wrath of God Himself, even if it meant sacrificing his own lustful desires to protect her from himself. Somehow summoning the strength, he resisted the urge to force their lips together, and leaned in instead for a gentle kiss.

Her lips were warm and inviting, eagerly returning his affection. One thumb gently grazed her cheek as the other made its way down to her chest. Her own hands raked through his wild mane.

"Selene" he managed to gasp as he pulled away from her.

"What is it? Is something wrong?"

"No, it's not that. Everything's perfect- you're perfect. It's just that now might not be the best time or place for this." His desire was nearly overwhelming, but he knew that he was doing the right thing.

"No, I suppose you're right."

"Come here." He pulled her to his chest, wrapping his arms around her frame.

Selene relished her position, safe and content in his warm grasp. She knew she was taking a risk, but, stubborn as she was, she said it anyway, "Logan, I love you."

Under normal circumstances he might have shied away from a response, but Selene was different. She was a part of him, and every part of him knew that he would be with her until the day he died. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "I love you too, darlin'."

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"Oh-ho-ho," the doctor remarked, almost giddy, "it's a good thing they stopped when they did, we wouldn't want things to get ahead of schedule." He scrunched his nose in silent laughter as the door slammed suddenly behind him.

"Have you made any progress since our last visit, doctor?" The General demanded as he followed the events on the screen before him.

"Y-yes, sir. We've finished all of the work on the body and we're preparing to begin the work on the mind." The timid doctor replied, reluctantly turning his gaze from the fantastic new development on the cell's surveillance feed.

"The **mind**? What do you have to do there?" The confusion was clear in the General's voice; he had no patience (nor understanding, for that matter) for the sciences. He wanted results!

"Well, sir, everything is prepared for the first trial, but our current work is ensuring the long-term effects that we discussed." The timid doctor continued, struggling to explain the procedures to the General while keeping the mounting anxiety from his voice.

"And the side effects? Is the girl still blind?"

"N-no, sir, she is on her way to a full recovery."

"Good. Good. And what about our other subject? How have they been…_getting along_?" A wicked grin curled across his lips.

"We have been remarkably fortunate in that field, sir. They are doing much better than similar subjects have in past trials. We're hoping that this boost will transfer over to our results, in the end."

"Good. Good. Well, doctor, since I'm here, how about a little first-hand observation. I'm very anxious to see your progress in the lab."

The doctor stifled a sigh as he turned from his work at the screen, "Of course, sir. We'll extract the subjects immediately."

AN: Yeah, I didn't feel like writing out Logan's experience at Weapon X, so I kinda jumped to the end of it. I mean, we all know what happened there. I'm not sure if Logan officially killed anyone during his escape in the movieverse, but he did in my version. So there.


	6. Deeper into the Blackness

The day began as it had for the last few months since Selene had met Logan

The day began as it had for the last few months since Selene had met Logan. Thick, hairy arms wrapped tightly around her, forming an intimate cocoon. Warm and protected, she usually forgot where she was, noticing only the feel of his hand on her hip and the warmth in her usually frigid toes as his feet enveloped her own. The door shrieked, shredding the momentary bliss as it cut through the air. _I can almost time the damn thing to the second_, the more cynical side of her brain thought as she shifted wearily from her position.

Logan tried to fight them, as usual. She had tried to talk the pig-headed jerk out of it a thousand times, but she knew that her incessant pleading was no match for his protective instincts and stalwart stubbornness. They used to resort to tasers, usually requiring the maximum voltage to bring Logan down as he vainly tried to protect his lover. Writhing in pain as the shock cooked his insides, Logan could only watch in anguish as they took Selene, and he was powerless to stop.

The two rarely talked about their internment, preferring to talk instead of their past. However dark the previous years had been for the two, the memories of those hard times were a welcome reprieve from their current state. One night, breaking her own rule, Selene begged Logan for the thousandth time not to fight them when they came in the morning. She was astonished when he did not angrily retort and spout his age-old phrases about protection and 'letting the bastards win', instead, he said nothing. Selene knew that, when it came to Logan, silence spoke volumes.

The morning after, Logan surprised all present when, instead of snarling at the guards, he spoke a single sentence.

"Promise not to take her, and I'll come quietly."

The guards, who had suffered often at the end of Logan's protective rampages, jumped at the notion and led Logan out of the cell. Selene, gobsmacked by Logan's offer, was unable to react before the door shrieked close once more. It took a whole of ten minutes for her to realize that, instead of protecting her through his noble self-sacrifice, Logan had, inadvertently, started the pair on a new routine.

She began this day as she had every day for the last six weeks. Selene had woken happily in Logan's arms, watched in despair as Logan willingly took her place, and seethed with rage as the guards broke their vow and came back for her.

She was dragged through endless corridors. Although they were unmarked, she knew where she was going. The lab door opened with a sickening screech and her face blanched.

_Oh no. Not him! Please, God, not him!_ She thought frantically as she was dragged over to the heartless steel table. Things were always worse when he was there.

The harsh voice of the General pealed heavily through the lab as he heckled the timid doctor.

"Oh, um, here is the subject, sir. We will begin the final stages of the treatment with her today." She heard the doctor stutter as she was strapped facedown to the cold steel. The hairs on her neck prickled as she lay terrified, not knowing what to expect with the deviation from her usual face-up position.

"The, uh, ch-chemicals that we administer in the next week will b-bring about the, uh, long-term effects that we discussed." The doctor continued.

"Get on with it, man!" The General bellowed impatiently, "I came here to see your progress, not to listen to your stuttering."

"Y-yes, sir." The doctor resigned as he made his way around the table.

Selene cringed as she heard the unforgiving scrape of unnamed steel instruments, each sound ushering in a new vision of her inescapable torture. Her body tensed as she lay, waiting for unspeakable pain to wash over her body.

She was not disappointed.

The needle pierced through the base of her skull and pumped in a hellish dose of an unknown poison. Selene's attempts to grit her teeth through the ordeal were defeated immediately as her anguished scream echoed through the lab. The liquid flowed through her brain like acid, burning every inch along the way. The moment it took for darkness to overcome her was an eternity too long, but she was forever glad for its sweet release.

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Conflicted was not nearly strong enough for Logan's state that first day. When he returned to an empty cell rage and worry dominated his emotions. That, coupled with the fact that he had suffered the same treatment and was barely conscious as he tried to fend off the searing pain in his skull, resulted in Logan's infuriated state

It was not until Selene was returned to the cell, battered, but alive, that Logan's afflictions caught up with him. Using the last of their energy to draw themselves together in an anguished huddle, neither found the strength even to cry.

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The week maintained the hellish regimen; the concoction that caused the searing pain was the only variant. On the seventh day of the advanced treatment a tiny device was implanted in each subject's brain as well as the serum. It was this device that truly ensured the long-term effects on the subjects, and the survival of the program. Afterwards, a full diagnostic was ordered on the two subjects. After the doctor had perused the reports to his contentment, he was finally able to give the command that he had been longing to utter for the past five years, "Begin the first trial."

_Tomorrow,_ he thought fiendishly,_ I will know if the seeds of my labor will bear fruit_. The though brought forth a nasally cackle as he considered the implications behind the all-too fitting phrase.

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AN: Thank you all so much for reading it so far; we have a long way to go!

Next chapter, the first lemon.


	7. Joie de Vivre

AN: Sorry it's been a while since my last update, I was out of town

AN: Sorry it's been a while since my last update, I was out of town. Also, the next update might not be within my usual weekly timeframe because I'm moving and I might need a little while to get settled in. Fear not! I will not abandon this story!! (Also, this is my first attempt at writing a lemon, so bear with me).

Something horrible was about to happen.

A violent shiver brought her out of her stupor. With great effort she managed to lift her heavy eyelids, but, as usual, she saw nothing more than an orange-sized blur. Her entire body was numb and stiff; her limbs felt as if they were filled with lead, even if they were not strapped to the gurney, she would not have been able to lift them.

"What now, Doctor?" Selene vaguely heard one of the lab assistants ask.

"Just this last shot to initiate the sequence, and then things should take care of themselves for as long as the program is in operation." The doctor replied, struggling to keep his anticipation in check.

Selene felt a prick at the base of her skull; she tightened her jaw as she waited for the customary pain to shoot through her.

It was a strange sensation. It was warm, but not like the unbearable burn that most of the injections had brought. This was a warm, tingly feeling that spread through her body. In any other circumstances, she would have thought it pleasant. As the warmth spread to her limbs they began to feel lighter. The numbness and stiffness seemed to melt away as it was replaced with this foreign sensation.

She thought the experience was over when the warmth had finally reached her toes, and she gasped when it changed again. The warmth started to spread again, but a thousand times more potent. Every inch of her body was electrically charged. Her breaths came in ragged pants. Her senses came alive and each one cried out for one thing.

"Logan." She breathed.

The fire that filled her veins pooled and intensified in her belly. Muscles coiled and tightened as she thought of what must be done. There was no lab to fear, no pain from the experiments, there was only Logan.

She had to get to him.

She fought against the straps that held her down. She would tear them apart with her teeth if she had to; they were costing her precious time.

"Quickly, get her back to the cell! It's taking effect sooner than we had anticipated!" She vaguely heard the Doctor cry. Usually, she would not have cared, but she knew that he wanted her back in her cell. Back with her Logan.

The halls seemed endless as her desire grew. She clenched her fists and curled her toes, anything to relieve some of the pressure that burned through her every pore. But she knew that there was only thing that could quench her lust. She wanted him. She _needed _him. She desired Logan more than the air that filled her gasping lungs.

An eternity later she heard the telltale shriek. Finally! Her bonds were removed and she was thrust into the lockroom, now there was only a thick metal door between her and her lover. In the few seconds that she was trapped in the closet-like space, she heard a frustrated snarl.

The door finally opened and Selene was in awe.

There he was. Far beyond the man she had shared these past months with, his desire had pushed him past his breaking point. The Wolverine, in all of his animalistic glory, stood before her. Though she could not see him, she could hear his ragged gasps and could almost feel his sheer presence. He had been tearing around the room, trying to relieve himself of the need that filled his every thought. He was panting, his bare chest heaving from the effort. His hair was mussed far past his usual wild mane; his eyes locked hungrily on her own.

Two long strides and they were together. His hands cupped her jaw and brought her lips hungrily to his own. Her hands wrapped around his solid torso, nails drawing thin red lines across his back that healed as quickly as they were created.

They tumbled onto the bed, his hands now taking their fill of her breasts as Selene raked through his wild mane. The fire that burned through their veins grew hotter as his hand drifted down towards her center. Agile fingers brushed past her tangle of nerves as they approached her womanhood. She gasped as they plunged deep within her, pleasure spreading through her abdomen until the pressure became almost unbearable.

Wolverine plunged his fingers one more time before he was sure that she was ready for him. They came together with a heated moan. It took her a moment for her to adjust to his length, but they soon settled into a passionate rhythm. He traced one finger down her glistening back, and her hips bucked in response, sending fiery signals through their cores. His hands returned to her breasts as she brought her attentive teeth to his earlobe, nibbling it vigorously.

His throaty growl rumbled through her chest as he plunged deeper and deeper, reaching places that she had never thought possible. Finally, their need was too much; they needed to complete each other soon before it was too late. He rocked into her one last time. They peaked together, her walls contracted, demanding that nothing remain in him as he filled her.

They lay on the bed, still joined, for some time afterwards. Some primal urge demanded that they remain locked in their intimacy, but they were too tired to move, even if they had wanted to.

They carried on in that fashion for five days, their thoughts clouded by an unnatural lust, they made passionate love when they could, and were content to lay, usually still joined together, when their excursions had left them exhausted. It was at the end of this five day period that Wolverine, barely waking from his post-coital rest, inhaled a slightly muskier scent emanating from his mate. His inner beast was quite content to see that its mission had been fulfilled, and he managed a feral grin as he drifted back to sleep.

Logan, who was mere hours away from coming out of his lust-filled haze, and would not, at that point, notice the subtle changes that his animalistic counterpart had, would not have been so pleased.

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AN: Thanks so much for reading so far! I just wanted to let y'all know that I finally figured out how to turn on the anonymous reviews, so _please_ take this opportunity to review! It really encourages me to write and I love hearing your thoughts!


	8. His Dark Hours

(Before I start, I want to apologize for how late this update is. I'm a freshman in college and moving into the dorms, starting classes, getting settled, etc. took longer than I had anticipated, so I want to thank everyone for sticking with the story after its mini-hiatus. Secondly, I want to thank al of my reviewers. If it hadn't been for y'all, I might not have been inspired enough to have gotten over my writer's block to start the fic up again.)

-Flashbacks will be in **bold**.

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_The pain had been too much._

**-His muscles knotted and his neck strained as he tried to escape the fires that lit his veins.**

_He couldn't last much longer._

**-His teeth clenched, preventing him from even releasing his pain in a feral roar. The next wave would break him.**

_He had held on for so long_

**-The needle slammed into the back of his neck, sending pulses of pain down his spine.**

_He broke._

**-The Wolverine roared as he thrashed everything in sight, looking for something to lessen his rage.**

**-The door screeched open.**

**-He pinned her down**

**-She gasped and clawed at his back**

**-He snarled as he plunged into her again and again**

**-"Logan, please" She begged.**

**-Her muffled cry filled the cell.**

Logan jerked awake with a gasp. His pulse raced as he sat bolt upright, eyes darting frantically, claws out ready to skewer any who came too close. Realizing that there was not a guard in the room, he sighed and swung his feet over the side of the bed and tried to collect his thoughts. Bad idea.

The memories of the Wolverine came back as they always did, suddenly, painfully, and in flashes that showed the worst of the carnage he had wreaked. He buried his face in his hands, trying to fend off the images, but he knew what he had done. He had destroyed everything.

A long time passed before he was able to turn and face her. How could she look so damn peaceful? Selene lay on her belly, her dark hair fanning out on the pillow behind her. Her breath came in slow, easy waves, her back, free of the blankets and covered in countless red lines from the previous night's excursions, rose and fell contentedly.

Logan couldn't take it anymore, staring at that beautiful creature, knowing that he had destroyed her trust as he forced himself upon her!

"Dammit!" He yelled, cursing himself for it a moment later as he feared he would wake Selene, (although he had nothing to fear, not blessed with his healing ability, she was still several hours from waking).

He paced the room, furious with himself that he had gone feral.

'It was those damn scientists,' he thought, 'they pushed and pushed! Damn it all!'

Logan continued his pacing and silent rant, never once looking ay Selene. He wanted to, God how he wanted to wrap her tightly in his arms and apologize for everything that he was, to take her away so he could save her from the horrors of this place and protect her from the world. His every thought was of her and it made him sick. Sick to realize that he had thought that an _animal_ like him would be able to give her what she deserved.

He sat in a corner of the cell several hours later, going through the same mental accusations that he had thirty minutes earlier. His frustration built up. His every muscle tensed and, not thinking of any alternative, he punched the wall he leaned on, sending an echoing metallic ring through the cell.

His heart stopped as he gazed at the bed.

"Nng… Logan?" came her sleepy response.

Logan, too wrapped up in his emotions to respond, fell silent.

Not hearing a response and feeling nothing more than a cold indent where Logan should lay, Selene snapped fully awake. The covers fell from her bare torso as she sat bolt upright. Never had he felt such anguish. His eyes were wild as he took in the bite marks on her collar, the ragged lines on her belly, and the bruises on her breasts. It was even worse than he had known.

Some otherworldly sense told her that her lover would not budge, Selene winced as she stood, her battered body still not recovered, and crossed over to him, hand stretched out before her.

Logan fell to his knees, tears lining is eyes as she reached out and caressed his cheek.

"Look at me" she begged.

Logan averted his gaze for as long as he could, but eventually turned back toward her.

"Tell me what's wrong." She asked gently.

'She wants to know what's wrong? All of her pain and she is concerned about _me_?' he thought wildly.

"Logan, please." She whispered.

**-"Logan, please." She begged.**

"I'm so sorry," he choked, "you trusted me, I loved you, and I… I hurt you like that… I betrayed you."

"Logan, what are you talking about?"

"I _forced_ myself on you, Selene!" The words barely escaped his lips.

"Oh, Logan," She sighed, "Is that what this is?"

He gazed back at her, bewildered.

"Logan you _saved_ me." She smiled. "I was lost in the darkness, the pain overwhelming me, and I found you. The only thing that stands out clearly is that I only wanted you, Logan. You took me in your arms and reminded me that there is more than just the pain and the lab. When you made love to me, I forgot where I was and even _who_ I was, I only knew that I was in the right place, with you. I wanted this, no, I _needed_ this more than you could ever know. Thank you, Logan."

She would have cried, but Logan was faster, he rose to his feet and pressed their lips together not in the violent way that had been the practice the days before, but slowly and tenderly, letting her know that every fiber of his being was fueled by his love for her.

Their lips parted and Logan pulled her into a tight embrace. He knew he did not deserve this woman the fates had given him, but he swore then that he would protect every inch that was wrapped in his arms until his last breath.

He could not have known then how much that truly entailed.

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(To clear up any confusion, the dashes at the beginning were meant to try to make everything choppy, like Logan's flashbacks in the movies. Also, since I'm still not quite used to college, I don't think I'll be able to keep up with a once-a-week update schedule. I'll do my best to update regularly. Don't lose faith in me!)


	9. Obscure Suspicions

AN: Before I forget, I don't think I've mentioned when this is taking place. The start of this chapter takes place two-three years before Logan would have met Rogue in the original Movieverse.

AN: I'm getting into the habit of starting my chapters with the, "Sorry the update's late" apology. The thing is, college isn't going terribly well for me. I haven't made many friends and I've been kinda down about that. Not exactly fanfic-writing moods, as it were. Still, I'm devoted to this fic as I'm devoted to all of you. It may take a while, but I'm never going to give this up! Thank you for all of your reviews and support, it really means a lot to me during this not-so-great time in my life.

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He sniffed the air, not expecting any change from the cell's usually stagnant atmosphere, but almost as if he were trying to put his finger on something that was not quite right.

"I don't like it," he growled.

"Don't like what?" Selene asked as she put a slender hand on his shoulder.

"I've never gone more than two days without their damn prodding, and here we've been a week without so much as a peep from those bastards. That, plus however much time we were…. _indisposed_. I don't like it." Logan trailed off.

"What do you think this means? Do you think they're going to try something different?" Selene asked, trying to comfort her lover as she laced her fingers with his.

"That's just the problem. Maybe they already have."

Her brows furrowed as her lips formed the beginnings of a silent question.

"You said that our time together a few days ago was more than you've ever experienced, unnatural, even. We both know I wasn't of the right mind. It would be just the way those bastards think to set us off like that." He growled.

"Logan," Selene said carefully, "what are you getting at?"

"Selene, we both know why we're here. If both of us were actin' not of our own accord, it can only mean one thing. They've decided we're ready for the next step. Those fuckers trigger something in our brains and send us to each other like horny teenagers so you can get knocked up and popping out their super soldiers." He snarled.

There was a long silence between them, eventually interrupted by Selene's muffled sigh. He turned to face her and the rage he felt for their captives was quickly replaced with confusion as he regarded her unreadable face.

"You mean, when we were together," she said evenly, "it wasn't real?" There was no emotion in her voice, but its cold indifference stabbed at Logan's heart more than if she had sobbed.

"Dammit, that's not it!"

"Then what is it, Logan?" Her cold façade breaking loose as she, too, began to respond in earnest anger.

"Selene, do you know what you do to me? I've wanted you ever since they dropped you on my doorstep. It's taken every bit of my will not to pin you to the bed up 'til now. It's just… I wanted to make love to you because I wanted to, and those bastards twisted our passion for their own ends."

Selene's expression softened for a moment, then she curled her fist and popped a quick jab in his gut.

"Dammit? What the hell was that for?" He managed to cough.

"If there's something wrong, tell me next time. I'm not a damn psychic."

Before Logan could respond, Selene's hand whipped out again, only this time it snaked around his neck, pulling him into a deep kiss.

After a few moments, Logan murmured, "we alright now, darlin'?"

"Yeah, just don't pull that shit again. I love you, you stubborn ass." She managed a quiet laugh.

Logan let out a slight chuckle as he pulled her back into a tight embrace.

"Logan, what's going to happen to us?" She whispered as the situation beyond her momentary uncertainty of her lover's affections dawned on her.

"Well, my guess is that it didn't work, so they leave us alone for a few weeks until it's time to try again. We do that until they get the results they want." He responded as he stroked her hair, knowing how much she hated the situation that they had been forced into.

"It feels so wrong to be talking about this so scientifically. To try again until they get the desired results, it's disgusting." Selene spat.

"Don't worry, darlin', we'll think of something."

"Think of something? What, do you plan to bust out of here? We can't even get out of this damn room, much less the complex. And even then, who knows where the hell this place is on a map? It's just impossible, Logan. As much as I hate to say it, we're stuck here until they get what they want." She said with a resigned sigh.

"Now listen here. I love you too damn much to let you rot away in here, and if it gets to the point where the little ones start to come along, I'll be damned if I'll let these bastards have their way with them. I'm going to protect our family if it takes my very last breath. I'll find a way." Logan said, pulling her even tighter into his protective embrace.

Selene managed a weak smile, allowing for the faintest glimmer of hope regarding their escape. They both knew that, without that impossible hope, not even the power of their love could guide them through their internment.

Now, Logan had been right in his guess about the trigger of their lovemaking, but he was still a short while away from knowing that he was wrong about its results.

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AN: sorry it's just a short chapter, but I feel like I covered something really important in their relationship. Thanks again to all of you for reading!!!


	10. Detection and Decisions

AN: As always, sorry it took me so long. Midterms happened. Also, I went back and tweaked chapter 9 a bit, it hadn't turned out the way I had initially wanted. Hopefully this time is better.

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Logan sat at the foot of the bed, alternating between watching the steady rise and fall of his lover's chest as she slept and staring into space as he once again gathered his thoughts. A full six weeks had passed since the screeching door had opened, last and in that time Logan had nothing to show from his endless search for a way to escape except for an increasingly strong headache and a growing sense that something was not as it should be. Both he and Selene were ill at ease as they speculated at the reasoning behind the break in their captors' intervention, but Logan sensed something more.

'On top of it all,' Logan thought irritably, 'something here isn't sitting right in my nose and now there's that damn noise.'

The noise had been plaguing Logan for a week or so now. The constant high-pitched hum was nearly inaudible at first, but had grown a little louder over the week. The most irritating part was that it would fade in and out of his perception. He could only hear it if he concentrated, but even if he focused on it it would fade in and out as he paced the cell.

'That's it. I'm going to figure out where the hell that noise is coming from' he decided.

Logan spent the next half hour investigating every corner of the cell, trying to figure out where the irritating hum was coming from. With a frustrating sigh, he sat on the edge of the bed and gave up his search. His thoughts drifted for a moment, then the noise came back in full force, humming louder than he had ever heard it (even though it was still only the faintest sound, inaudible to the average human ear). He focused on it, shifting ever so slowly towards the hum. He crouched on the ground, investigating under the bed as he continued to near the source.

Finally, after days of frustration, he knew he finally had it. He brought his head back to the top of the bed, expecting to find some camera or chip, but he saw nothing but Selene's resting form.

'No,' he thought with frustration, 'no, it should be right here. Whatever the hell it is, it should be here.'

He took a steadying breath and concentrated again. He could hear Selene's rhythmic breathing, he brought his focus down and could hear the steady beat of her heart, and a little farther down he-… he could hear her heart? Her heart.

Logan's face froze in shock, his eyes locked on the sleeping form of his lover.

'It fits.' He thought in wonder. 'They haven't taken us back yet, the humming, the-' he inhaled deeply, 'the new scent. It's…'

Selene stirred then. Her heavy eyes lifted and she immediately knew something was wrong. From what the dinner plate-sized sphere of her blurry vision allowed, she saw Logan kneeling on the floor staring straight ahead.

"Logan? Logan, what's wrong?"

"I can hear the heartbeat." He said, astonishment locking his voice in a choked whisper.

"The heartbeat? You mean…"

Logan, finally finding the strength to move, placed his hand gently on her still flat abdomen.

Selene's thoughts whirred through her mind. Momentary glimpses, ideas of what may be. A dark-haired child played in the back yard. An innocent smile was ripped away and replaced by screams behind the screeching door. A future that could never be tormented her as it was replaced by the inevitable.

This was her child. This was **their** child. She had only learned of its existence a moment ago, but she already loved the new life in her womb more than she could have imagined. Could she find a way? Could she find some way to protect her child from the unimaginable fate that awaited it? And even if there was a way, could she go through with it? Could she really destroy the life within her, even if it meant protecting it from a fate worse than death?

Selene's whirlwind of thoughts paused for a brief moment of clarity. What did Logan think of all this? She didn't want to ask this, she never wanted to bring this subject up again, but she had no other choice.

"Logan?" she murmured, "I… I need to ask you something. It's so terrible, but I need to know."

"Just ask."

She took his hand, turning it over in her own, tracing her fingertips along the silhouette of his claws. "When they did this to you… that is, if you had known beforehand, would you… would you rather have lived through that pain, or taken the other way out?"

Logan's gaze turned hard. His hand tightened around hers as he thought through the implications of her question.

"What I mean is-"

"I know what you mean!" He snarled. Selene flinched away from him and he became aware of his reaction. Taking a shuddering breath, he calmed himself and continued, "I don't like thinking about that, you know I don't. It takes me back to a place I don't want to be, to a person I don't want to be. It was the darkest part of my life, including the worst times here. There were times when I told myself I'd never go through that pain again, that if I'd had a choice, I would have taken any way out, and I do mean **any** way. But that was when I had nothing to live for. If you have nothing to live for, then there's no reason to stick it out through the bad times." He swallowed a few times before he was able to continue, "I had to go through that before I could get to you. If they get our child, some terrible things might happen, but no matter what we'll get him back. We'll go to the ends of the world and get him back. Pain like what I went through, it will be with me for the rest of my life. But a chance at happiness, even if you have to go through some terrible things before you get it, is better than no chance at all. I want our child to have a chance, Selene."

No words passed between them for a while after that, but each knew what the answer was. They were keeping their child. Come hell, high water, or torturous experiments, they would protect their child.

"Don't worry, darlin', they'll never get our boy." Logan assured her, reaching up and brushing away a strand of hair that had fallen in her face.

"You seem so sure that it's a boy?" Selene asked with only the slightest hint giving away her bleak façade.

"Call it a father's intuition." Logan grinned as he reached up and kissed her. He pulled away slowly, bringing himself up on the bed and pulling her into a protective embrace. The momentary joke passed and Logan turned to her again, "I won't let anything happen to you." He said, his declaration both a challenge to any who would dispute it as well as an attempt to calm her.

"I know you'll find a way. I trust you with my life, Logan."

Logan steeled his will with grim determination. No force on earth would make him break that trust. He was sure of it.

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AN: Thanks to all of you for your uplifting reviews, it really keeps me going! Sorry for the wait, I hope it was worth it!


	11. Light in the Approaching Darkness

AN: Ok, finals, holidays, computers breaking, no internet access, and being out of the country for two weeks are mostly to blame for the hiatus. I'll try to not let it go so long in the future without an update, but sometimes it's just out of my control. Also, I've decided to start answering reviews (it hadn't occurred to me before). I'm going to start with this chapter, so I'm sorry to those of you who've reviewed on previous chapters; I really love your reviews too!

Extra warning: this chapter is mostly smut, with a pinch of fluff mixed in.

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Logan stared at her over from his position at the foot of the bed. She was biting her lower lip, nibbling it, really. She always did it when she was deep in thought. Logan knew that she wasn't thinking about anything serious, 'otherwise she'd be twirling her hair with her finger, too,' he thought with a grin. He had to suppress a lustful growl as he continued to stare, imagining that _he_ were the one nibbling those sweet lips…

He didn't want to break her concentration, but curiosity finally won over.

"What're you thinking about, Darlin'?"

Selene's eyes shot up, she released her lower lip as her gaze curiously locked on Logan. Roughly half of her field of vision had now been transformed from the pitch black that she had known to the blurry scene that she had become accustomed to. She was now able to make out the general shape of her lover, which had prompted her reverie.

"Well?" he pressed with a playful grin.

"You remind me of someone, and I can't put my finger on it, alright?" Selene spat in feigned annoyance.

"Is that so?" Logan played along, his tone serious. "And what is it about me that is triggering this comparison?" He grinned as he crept closer to her.

"Well, at first I thought it was your firm jaw," she lightly traced her index finger along his jawline, "it's bold, masculine, and very sexy," her voice dipped low as she cupped his chin softly in her hand. "Buuuuuut, that's not it." She threw his chin playfully from her grasp.

"Then I thought it might have been your voice."

"What about my voice?" he asked in a playful growl, taking the hint and as he inched closer.

"The low pitch," she replied as she brought him completely to her and kissed a trail down his neckline, "and the way it's gravely when you're angry, but smooth when you're flirting with me." She finished with a throaty laugh, raking her finders through his thick mane.

"Mmmm, flirting? I thought we were passed that point." His voice was muffled as he kissed the nape of her neck.

"You know, I think I may be onto something with the voice, but there's something else," Selene mused as she lay back, allowing her lover complete access to her entire body, which he took fool advantage of, starting his way from the top.

"Is that so?" Logan growled as his calloused hands went about their work, one concentrating on her right breast as the other trailed its way down her curving belly to tease her inner thigh.

"Maybe it's your sense of humor," her breath was hitched now as Logan's fingers stopped their work on her thigh and made their way to her delicate center.

"Mmhmm," Logan's reply was distracted as Selene brought her hand down to firmly enclose his length.

No longer interested in playing games, Logan brushed Selene's hands aside and brought himself within her. Though his inner self cried out to take her roughly, Logan rocked slowly, careful not to bring his weight fully on her rounded abdomen.

Selene reached her peak quickly, moaning her lover's name and clenching down upon him as she rode wave after wave of pleasure. Logan released an animalistic growl as he too lost control and released himself deep within her.

Logan withdrew himself and lay panting next to his satisfied lover, who was softly chuckling to herself by this point.

"Care to share the joke?"

"It's not really a joke," Selene replied, "more of a riddle"

"...Well?"

"I still can't figure out who you remind me of, you stupid ass!" She said as she playfully slapped his chest, laughing all the while.

"Hmm, I go from great sex to 'stupid ass' in under a minute. Wow, does that make me feel lucky," Logan feigned irritation.

Selene's laughter came to a sudden halt, "Wait a minute, say that again."

"What? That I'm apparently a stupid ass?"

"No, the part about feeling lucky."

"… Wow, does that make me feel lucky?"

"Aha!" Selene proclaimed as she reached over and kissed her lover, "I finally figured it out," she said with a great sense of pride and accomplishment.

"And are you going to fill me in?" Logan asked as Selene repositioned herself to sit between his legs, leaning her back against his firm, bare chest.

"It's perfect, really," she said as she looked up at him, "you remind me of Clint Eastwood."

"Clint Eastwood? But he's at least seventy years old."

"So? I like older men. Besides, I find Clint Eastwood very sexy," Selene purred.

"Oh, well in that case, " Logan teased.

Selene smiled. Good sex, figuring out her own personal riddle, a warm chest to lean against; barring the fact that she was being held in a prison by a team of evil scientists, today hadn't gone too badly.

Logan, on the other hand, frowned as he wrapped his arms around Selene's growing midsection. She was nearing her sixth month now, and every passing day was torture for the clawed mutant. The child was coming, and Logan was no nearer to an escape plan than he had been months before.

He was running out of time.

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**Hope and Love, Phantom's Angel, Konoshy, and Wolfy Pup: Thanks so much! I'm glad y'all like it so far! :)**

**Lucky's Girl: I'm glad you like so far. I'll be happy to check out your stuff! Look for my reviews.**

**Polly Danderfluff-Mrs. Hawkeye: I read somewhere that the heart forms at 5 weeks or something like that (I've since forgotten). That's why I tried to make it so that Logan could barely hear it.**


	12. Dar la Luz

AN: Violent and angsty chapter ahead.

Logan paced furiously around the cell, putting the finishing touches on his master plan for their escape.

'If they want my son, then they'll have to come in the cell' his mind raced, 'then I'll kill all of them, and we'll escape. Simple.'

Had his thoughts been more collected, he would have been disappointed in his grand scheme- it wasn't exactly as eloquent as he had originally hoped- but Logan was running out of time. Selene was due any day now, and he still hadn't found a way to protect his family. It was driving him mad. He continued to pace the cell, running his hand roughly through his wild mane as he glanced furtively at his lover.

Across the cell, Selene was in a vastly different state of mind. As the child within her grew heavier, so too had her sense of dread. She hadn't spoken in weeks. She would just lie in bed, staring at the ceiling. Her expression had been uniformly blank for nearly two months, with red, tear-rimmed eyes as its only accent.

Then it finally happened.

Selene gasped sharply as a wave of pain rolled over her. Logan was at her side in an instant.

"Selene, baby, everything's going to be ok. Just keep breathing, alright?"

Selene's only response was another anguished cry.

Logan winced as his heart felt like it was shattered into a thousand pieces. There was no sound on earth that the mutant dreaded more than the cries of the woman beside him.

Not five seconds later, Logan's ears were assaulted with the one exception.

The doors to the cell screeched open and armed guards streaked through.

"Step away from the woman and nobody will get hurt," the guard in the center of the formation commanded.

Oh yeah, he was going to go first.

An audible 'SNIKT' echoed through the cell as Logan charged the door, wildly slashing at anything in his path. For the first time in years, adamantium claws sliced through the armor and flesh of the guards, taking out three of them before the other could react.

Logan worked in a blind rage, slitting throats and opening bellies with no remorse. He didn't care that when one guard fell, two more streamed in to take its place. He also didn't notice the commands that were being issued as the guards raced in to subdue him.

"Bring in the T-39!" one of them called, shortly before his windpipe was severed.

Logan turned from his latest kill to see six guards enter with the most menacing devices he'd ever seen. Each held what appeared to be a three-foot-long black spear that separated into two wicked points at the end. The mutant's eyes narrowed as a flash of electric current jumped across the foot-wide gap between the points.

Logan moved first, lunging forward and slicing one of the menacing rods in two before a sharp current ran down his spine. One of the guards had managed to get his weapon around Logan's neck, forcing him to the ground as the five other guards followed suit and hit his arms and legs. A moment later, Logan was pinned to the cold floor with painful electric currents running through him from every angle. He struggled with all of his might, but managed only to turn his head so that he faced the door.

He almost wished that he hadn't.

Time seemed to slow and all sound was sucked from the room as Logan watched in terror. A gurney was wheeled over to the bed where his struggling lover was roughly transferred and pinned to it.

"Selene!" He screamed.

"We have the female, fall back!" The guards commanded as the gurney was wheeled out of sight.

"SELENE!"

His arms and legs were released from their electrified restraints, but his neck was still pinned. As the remaining guards evacuated the cell, the one holding his neck down was the last to go.

The guard was about to release his hold when a terrible screeching sound issued behind him. The door had closed. They had left him there with that animal. He ran to the door and pounded on it, begging to be released.

The last things he saw were the three gleaming blades protruding from his chest.

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Selene writhed on the gurney, her screams echoed down the endless steel halls. She cried out again and as pain wracked her frame. She was wheeled into the lab, where the next several hours inched by.

-Sweat poured down her face as the contractions came closer together.

-Her knuckles were bone-white as she clenched her fist with every push.

-Losing the battle, the last ounce of her strength came in a flash as she ended her final push with a deafening, "LOGAAAAAAAAAAAAN!"

A moment later, a much weaker cry filled the room.

Selene was able to whisper, "My son. My beautiful boy," before exhaustion finally overtook her.

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Through the cloudy haze, Selene was able to make out two voices. They were arguing over something, but she couldn't quite pin down exactly what.

"The specimen is perfect, everything went exactly according to plan." A weak voice tried to explain.

"Exactly according to plan? From what I recall, the plan was a bit more extensive than this!" The rougher voice roared.

"A minor adjustment, and the next batch should be up to par." The first voice squeaked.

As curious as Selene was, she just couldn't bring herself to listen anymore, and she drifted off again.

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The Wolverine popped his claws with a snarl as he heard the door screech once again. He'd put a great many slash-marks in the door and killed at least two-dozen of the guards over the last few days, and he wasn't nearly through with them yet. Wolverine crouched as he prepared to spring on any who entered.

His heart nearly stopped, and Logan instantly regained control as Selene stumbled through the door. She barely made it three feet before collapsing to the ground. He found no words to say as he embraced his love for the first time in a week. Selene sobbed into his chest for a long time before she was able to whisper the words Logan never wanted to hear.

"They took him. He's gone."

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AN: I'm so sorry that this chapter ended like that, but the bad guys got the baby. Don't worry, there's a LOT more story to go. Twists and turns and evil jerks getting what's coming to them. I won't say what's going to happen with the baby, but he'll be around… (P.S. no flames please!)

**Hope and Love, Bobby Rae, trupinkluv24, RosaSpark, and CeruleanKitten:** Thanks so much! I'm really so glad that you guys are enjoying the story. Thanks also for your kind reviews, they really keep me going and are a huge help in my writing process!

**Chocokittens:** lol, I hadn't thought of that.

**Lucky's Girl:** Thanks so much! Sorry I haven't finished your story yet, things are hectic, but I'll do my best to keep reviewing!

**Bridgette Potter:** I agree, Clint is super sexy. I took a lot of the comparison from his role in "In the Line of Fire".


	13. Escaping the Nightmare

The silence was maddening.

It had been five months since Selene had given birth, and she had not spoken a word since then. It was as if her mind, body, and soul had ceased to be. Her eyes stared vacantly, her body sat immobile, and her ears heard not a sound. She was dead to the world, and it to her.

Logan had tried to break through to her, but with no success. His words did not register in her fragmented mind, and she drew violently back from his touch. Without the comfort of Selene, or the distraction of comforting her, Logan withdrew himself far into the depths of his own grief.

Lost in the world, and lost to each other, Logan and Selene fell deeper into despair; the maddening silence continued.

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"You say you have identified the problem?" the gravelly voice of the General demanded.

"Um, y-yes sir. The problem seems to lie in the female. A minor technical glitch that should take only one session to fix" the quivering doctor responded.

"Good. I'll return in eight months, and I expect to find the program back on schedule." The general allowed the threat of the command weigh on the doctor before turning on his heel on his way out of the facility.

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Logan was leaning against the hard wall of the cell when something suddenly shook him out of his miserable reverie. Something was wrong in the air.

"Nerve gas," he slurred as he slid to the floor, no longer able to keep his feet.

He was only partially aware of the soldiers that stormed into the cell and took his lover. In his current state, though he was infuriated, he was able to only pop his claws, but not put them into action. His arms felt so heavy for some reason, and so did his eyes…

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Selene stared groggily up at her captors. As she did, she stumbled and was caught by the arm by the guard next to her. It may have been her imagination, or quite possibly a side effect of the gas that had been pumped into her cell, but she could have sworn she heard the guard say, "Whoa, chere" as he caught her. She did not dwell on it; it was of no importance.

Had Selene's eyesight been fully functional, she might have seen a pair of red eyes twinkle from under the guard's helmet

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Thoughts and senses that had been dulled and forgotten were suddenly brought back to life by the only feeling that she still had access to. Pain, and lots of it. The memories and emotions that she had tried to forget came rushing back to her as the hellish concoctions raced through her veins and seared her nerves.

Though the concept of speech had seemed foreign not an hour ago, her voice came back to her in full force now as she let out a piercing, anguished scream.

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Several hours later, Logan came slowly awake. He unsteadily got to his feet and leaned against the wall to counter the rapidly spinning room. When the dizzy spell was over his attention immediately centered on the opposite side of the room where Selene was sitting at the foot of the bed, sniffling softly.

Unsure of what to do, Logan crept over to the bed and sat quietly beside her. As soon as she felt him beside her, Selene turned and buried her head into the crook of his neck. Finally seeing a response after so many months of emotional isolation, Logan gladly took the bait and wrapped his arms tightly around her, like a shipwrecked sailor clinging to a lone piece of driftwood. He breathed in her scent as if it was oxygen, firmly burying his nose in her hair, wanting to surround himself with her.

They sat that way for a long time, their pose radiating the love that they felt as they sat frozen in the roles they were meant to play for each other. She was wrapped tightly in her lover's strong arms, wholly shielded by her devoted protector. He clung to her like a lifeline, basking in her love and breathing in the light that she brought into him.

When Selene had finally shed the last tear that she had dammed up since the loss of her child, she found her voice and managed to whisper, "We should name him James".

Logan swallowed hard, "James it is."

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The next few days were quiet for the two; they spent most of their time tucked together, just returning their relationship to a sense of normalcy.

Then it happened.

The shrill piercing sound of the alarm echoed through the cold halls and the thundering of boots droned under it. The shriek of the door was soon added to the ruckus as guards stormed into the cell. Before even Logan could react, heavy bracers were slapped onto his hands, covering him from elbow to knuckle in heavy steel and preventing him from popping his claws. Selene was put into handcuffs and the two were brusquely led through the endless corridors of the facility.

Rather than being led to the infamous lab, the two were instead brought to a large garage that seemed to have housed many large military-style vehicles, but had evidently been recently emptied. Several guards and scientists were running around to get into one of the dozen or so trucks that were preparing to leave- likely the last caravan heading out before the reason behind the evacuation arrived.

Logan and Selene stood for a moment, taking in the new scene, before they were forced ahead again by the barking commands of the guards and the painful shocks of the weapons that they carried.

Selene was led to a truck near the end of the line, while Logan's captors pushed him past to the very last vehicle. When Logan realized that he would not be joining Selene, he struggled harder against the guards, bashing his steel-encased hands into the nose of the nearest guard. He turned on the other five men who surrounded him and was about to leap on the nearest one when he heard the screech of tires behind him. Most of the trucks had left the hanger, including the one that held Selene.

The bravest of the guards tried to take advantage of Logan's distraction and lunged at him with his electrified weapon. Hearing the shuffling of feet, Logan turned just in time to catch the shocking tip with his forearms. Electricity ram through his constraints and, luckily for Logan, fried whatever circuitry kept them locked.

The modified handcuffs clanged to the ground, and Logan popped his claws with a menacing _Snickt_. Their resolve shattered, the remaining guards ran to the last truck and pulled drove off into the night.

Quickly putting the guards out of mind, Logan looked for a way to catch up with Selene. Glancing out the hanger door, he saw that a blizzard raged outside in what seemed to be harsh, untamed terrain.

"Great, once again I find myself escaping captivity in the middle of nowhere."

The roar of what could only be a jet shook Logan out of his thoughts as he continued to search for transportation. Not a single truck remained, but right near the door a tarp covered a small form. Logan ran over and found he was in luck as he uncovered a fully operational snowmobile.

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Selene cringed in the back of the Hummer she had been shoved into. Unable to see anything, she knew nothing of where she was, where they were taking her, and worse, where Logan was. She curled tighter into herself and listened harder to the guards, hoping that they would offer her some clues.

"Nobody told us what was going on," one of them complained, "Thompson, you were in C-block when it happened, what are we running from?"

"I heard that some mutant group was sniffing out our trail, getting too close, so we're moving positions" a second voice offered.

"I didn't sign up for this," a third voice, Thompson, apparently, quivered.

"What was it?" the first one asked.

"Jones. I saw Jones get fried by lighting" Thompson sobbed.

"Will ya shut up and let me drive?" A fourth voice demanded, "And Thompson, I don't care if it's your first week on the job, you shut the hell up or I'll throw you right out in the snow!"

The cab became suddenly quiet. Selene tightly shut her eyes, wishing only to be back in Logan's arms again.

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Following the tracks of the trucks, Logan sped along the side of the road until he spotted red break lights through the snow. He'd disposed of two truck full's of guards already; he just hoped that he'd finally found Selene.

Readying for his attack, Logan brought the snowmobile right alongside the hummer and let out a roar as he jumped onto the hood. His claws punched into the frame and he clung to his grip as the driver swerved on the icy road. Clawing his way up the truck, Logan reached the driver's door and punched the window in. With one swipe, he sliced the door off at the hinges and let it whip down the road.

Forcing his way into the cab, Logan brought his claws to the driver's throat.

"Stop the car or I'll cut your God-damned throat," he growled.

The car skidded to a stop on the icy road and Logan made his way to the back door and sliced it open. And there she was. Shivering in fear and the sudden burst of cold, Selene sat huddled in the back of the car.

"I gotcha, baby" he whispered as he gathered her in his arms. "You," he pointed at the nearest guard, "give me your boots, socks, and coat," Logan demanded.

The guard sat dumbfounded for a moment before giving the feral mutant what he ordered.

After wrapping Selene up in the guards warm coat and slashing the truck's tires, Logan picked Selene up again, turned to the guards and growled, "Any of you follow us or rat us out, I will hunt you down and cut you to pieces, starting with your dicks, you got that?"

The guards nodded emphatically.

Logan deposited Selene on the snowmobile and drove it on an off-road trail, away from all of the guards, the facility, the pain and despair, towards what he hoped would be a nearby town, and a new life with it.

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**AN:** I AM SO SORRY that it took so long to update! I could list all of the reasons/excuses, but basically chalk it up to end of semester/finals/moving back home PLUS the BIGGEST case of writer's block I've ever had. There was one hitch in this chapter that I just couldn't get right, but, two months later, here it is. Now that I'm out of school for summer, updates should be coming more frequently. Thanks so much to everyone for sticking with me and my little story!

**Trekkie907, Hope and Love, CeruleanKitten, Bridgette Potter, Sasha-of-the-Hidden-Leaf, Fairy Skull, Lucky's Girl, Psycho-Bunny1309, and EastAngels2009:** Thanks so much for your kind reviews! They really keep me writing!

**Truepinkluv24 and Bobby Rae: **Don't worry, there's plenty of story left!

'**S'laughter:** Thanks for the criticism, it's always appreciated. Right now I'm working without a beta, and I usually write late at night, so by the time I'm done I don't always catch all the mistakes, but I'll do my best ;).

To all my readers, thanks so much for continuing to follow the story, I hope y'all like it!


	14. Natural Light

AN: Back again. The delay was caused by personal issues, that's all I can say. I hope updates will be more frequent than they have been, but other things in my life may be taking priority for a while. No worries, the chapters will keep coming- just not as fast as I want them to…

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The sky had lightened to a sickly pre-dawn grey by the time Logan found a main road. What little sunlight that made its way through the clouds was quickly lost in the flurrying snow that whipped in Logan's face and stung his eyes; only his healing ability kept frostbite from claiming his extremities. Selene was faring better than would be expected, but, even as bundled up as she was, she was still trembling violently.

To add insult to injury, the snowmobile, which was their only chance of both evading their captors and finding civilization, was beginning to run out of gas.

It was nearly afternoon and the gas needle was struggling to stay aloft when Logan turned yet another of what must have been a thousand bends in the road. There it was, the run down one-pump gas station and general store seemed like a palace to the weary runaways.

Logan eased the snowmobile up to the storefront and parked it next to a relic of a miniature camper whose front window displayed a wrinkled "For Sale" sign. He swung Selene up in his arms and brought her in to the waiting warmth.

The young man minding the store was surprised at the oddly dressed strangers at first, but when Logan dangled the keys of the top-of-the-line snowmobile in front of his face, his confusion melted into an expression of enthusiastic assistance.

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A warm meal, a decent amount of general supplies, and a rusty red camper later, Logan and Selene were on the run again. While only an hour ago he was running out of gas and fighting frostbite, he now had a place to sleep, food in his stomach, and even a small wad of cash in his pocket.

Realizing that he and Selene actually had a fighting chance, he allowed himself a rare optimistic thought, 'suddenly, my life doesn't look that bad.'

With Selene sleeping contentedly in the passenger seat, Logan surveyed their new home on the road. It was small and beat up, and it wouldn't last forever, but all of the parts worked.

'It looks great,' the confident thought continued

The camper kept them on the move, and most importantly during the long winter nights, it kept them warm.

'It looks _cozy_' his optimistic side finished as he took in the last details of the small space that hung behind the cab of the truck.

Glancing once more at his sleeping lover before returning his attention to the snow-packed road, Logan murmured to himself, "We'll be ok".

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Far in the opposite direction, a middle-aged scientist removed the silencer from the pistol that still smoked in his hand.

"My apologies, General," a cold, calculating voice sneered, its even tone a far cry from the mock stutter that he had donned for the better part of the last decade. He watched the baffled General struggle for his last breath, and would have happily watched as the idiot's corpse turned cold, but the piercing wail of an infant demanded his attention.

Dr. Nathaniel Essex turned his back on the General's corpse, thoroughly ending that chapter in his life. Playing the part of the stuttering fool had served him well over the past few years as he laid the foundation of his grand scheme. True, recent events had not brought him to the conclusion that he had hoped for, but there was still time.

Essex reached the vehicle and brusquely stopped the infant with a pacifier and turned his thoughts to mending the gaps in his plans- most notably, how to recapture his favorite subjects in time to oversee the next stage of the experiment.

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Sorry for the long wait and short chapter, but the next one is already in the works and should (hopefully) be around my usual chapter length (and posted soon-ish). I just really liked the way the chapter felt with the current ending, so I shortened it a bit.

UchihaAkia, Ithilya, AngelwithDirtyToughts, CHIBI-CRAZY, AnonymousUniverse, Lamminator, trekkie907, Fairy Skull, truepinkluv24, EastAngels2009, and Bobby Rae: Thanks so much! It really means a lot to me that y'all are enjoying it!

JuunBug: Yeah, I know there are spelling/grammar mistakes. I try my best, and usually I'm a total grammar freak too, but whenever I finish a chapter I'm just so excited to post it that I don't do much more than a spell-check and once-over.

Ray, Fire Black Dragon, and anyone else wondering what's happening with James: Like I said, James will work back into the story in the future. Right now he's alive and well, but, aside from occasional reference, the story's going to focus on Logan and Selene. (James is going to be a huge focus later on. I don't want to say any more and ruin it ;) ).

Bridgette Potter: I always imagined them in your general "human experiment" kinda clothes. Maybe the clone's uniforms from "The Island" or River's gray outfit in the beginning of "Serenity" for reference, if anybody's familiar with those movies. (But as of the end of this chapter, they have regular street clothes).

Lucky's Girl: As of the end of this chapter, the story takes place a few months before Logan would have met Rogue in X1. In the next chapter or two, the timeline should become crystal clear.

Wolfy Pup: I don't know exactly how many chapters it'll end up as, but the plot in my head makes it out into a longer story. I may split it up into sequels, or keep it as one huge story, I haven't decided yet, but even if I do split the story up, we should be a while from the end yet.


	15. The Lightning Strike

AN: Out of town family reunion + problems with class registration + 100 random things = Roguejedi89 has no time to write. The last chapter was sort of a bridge between story arcs, so this chapter will be the beginning of "Part 2," as it were. Please to enjoy.

Also, A plot bunny took over my brain. I've recently posted a rather dark fic for Batman Begins/The Dark Knight. Normally I wouldn't plug my own stuff, but I haven't gotten much feedback on it and I just want to know if it's any good or not. If any of you have time to waste, I'd take it as a personal kindness if you left a review or two so I can get a decent measure on how good it is.

Extra disclaimer: Themes and some lines in this chapter are taken without permission directly from Snow Patrol's "Lightning Strike". I do not own the rights to the song.

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As the wind blew angry flurries of snow around the road, a rickety red camper pulled in to the parking lot of a rundown motel. Much like the other 'towns' they had passed through in the last few weeks, the motel and the bar next to it were the only buildings standing in the small clearing, and seemed to be the only sign of civilization for miles. The camper wheezed to a stop as Logan killed the engine and swiftly made his way over to the passenger door.

In the confines of their cell, Selene had been able to make her way with little difficulty, but in the ever-changing terrain of the real world, her blindness was much more difficult to deal with. Selene could now make out large shapes and colors, but not enough to walk unassisted. Logan guided her hand to his arm and helped her through the snow to the desk of the motel.

The manager, a lanky, greasy-haired fellow, did not look up from his magazine as he drawled, "Ten bucks a night, up front."

Logan dug in his pocket and pulled out a few wrinkled bills. They had fourteen dollars left. He grimaced as he paid the man. As the manager reached for the key, his eyes finally glanced from the pages in front of him and he looked over Logan's muscled frame. He started to say something, but bit it back. Logan took the key and guided Selene up to their room.

The storm was getting worse by the minute, and Logan had to fight against the wind to close the door. He turned around to see Selene sitting at the foot of the bed, her shoulders rounded in resignation, and her unfocused eyes staring off into nothingness. Since their escape, the all thought had been on getting away and staying away. Stopping only when they had to, Logan and Selene worked as if on autopilot. As he realized this, Logan could not remember if they had even kissed since the night of their escape, so focused were they on the fight-or-flight mentality.

'Is this all we get?' he thought bitterly, 'we escape, just to imprison ourselves on the open road?' He stood staring at his lover, squinting as the light behind her flared for a moment, filling the room like a bolt of lightning, haloing Selene and lighting her up like a star for only a moment, before burning out. She looked so beautiful, even in the darkness.

He closed the space between them, Taking her chin in his hand and bringing her lips to his in a hard kiss, lighting a fire in both of them that had been forgotten in their fear.

"Logan, what are yo-" Selene gasped.

"What if this is all we have? What's the point of escaping if we aren't living?" He asked, kissing her again, "I don't want to run, Selene, I want to live. I want to feel you every day that I am living," he guided them both down to the length of the bed, "starting now."

"Logan," Selene whimpered as he began long-overdue ministrations to her body, "I don't want to run, either."

As if in a breath, something snapped in both of them. The built-up tension that both of them had forced down since their escape came rushing out all at once. Suddenly, the only thing in the entire world was the two of them, kissing fiercely as they clung to each other. Logan's hand slid down from its position on Selene's breast, fiddling with the button on her jeans as he mumbled curses at how they were both wearing too many clothes.

Selene hungrily rectified the situation, peeling the shirt from his chest and flipping it over his head before grasping at his exposed back. Logan responded in kind, swiftly removing her pants and shirt before returning to her form. He brought his mouth hungrily to hers as she brought her hand below his beltline.

Both of them were hovering on the edge of control, panting raggedly as they came closer to the edge. As Selene's hand finally grasped his most intimate parts, Logan finally lost all control, giving himself over to the Wolverine. Selene likewise released all holds on her innermost self, giving over to desire as she stoked her partner's lust.

Quickly tiring of the teasing, Wolverine brought himself into her, filling her completely and roughly assaulting her core. Selene responded in kind as she feverishly rocked her hips to meet his. The biting, pawing, and thrusting brought them both to the edge, but it was Wolverine's possessive growl that finally brought her toppling over, her slick core clenching down on his length, bringing her with her in earth-shattering orgasm.

Coming down from their high, they alternated kissing passionately and catching their breath, and although the most pressing desire had been somewhat met, they would spend the rest of the night satisfying their lust in a passion-induced haze. It was only when Selene finally drifted off to sleep that the Wolverine relinquished control back to his more human counterpart. Logan quickly drifted off as well, and had no way of knowing the Wolverine had gotten exactly what he wanted.

XXXXXXXX

Storm had blown over during the night, and the late-morning light greeting the pair as they moved to check out.

"You not stayin' for the fight tonight?" The manager asked with a surprised expression.

Logan's confused expression spoke volumes.

"The cage fight over at the bar? Winner usually walks away with a few hundred," the man continued.

Logan felt the three wrinkled bills in his pocket, before turning to Selene.

"You do something stupid like get yourself hurt, of course," Selene said in an even, firm tone.

"I'll be fine, Darlin'," Logan smiled as he leaned in and kissed her temple.

XXXXXXXXXXX

A few weeks later, a fresh wad of cash in his pocked and not even a bruise to show for it, Logan eased the camper out of the parking lot and back onto the road. The latest of the many cage fights that had kept the pair financially afloat had paid off rather well. Logan glanced over at Selene's sleeping form and inhaled a contented sigh- or rather, would have, had he not detected the faintest of peculiarities. Inhaling again with more purpose, he pinpointed the one scent that he knew they could not handle.

Selene was expecting.

XXXXXXXXXX

CHIBI-CRAZY, Ithilya, Lucky's Girl, stargirl0507, EastAngels2009, and Bridgette Potter: Thanks so much for your reviews! I'm always grateful for your comments and feedback!


	16. Lighter and Darker Sides of Their Future

The stench of sawdust, dried blood, and old beer permeated the air, but the reek went unnoticed by the adrenalin-fueled patrons, as they stood ensnared by the spectacle before them. A final resounding thud was heard above their cheers before the bell signaled the end of the round.

The manager of the establishment gingerly entered the ring, cringing slightly as a well-bloodied, unconscious man was dragged unceremoniously out of the ring. Collecting himself, the manager cleared his throat.

"In all my years I've never seen anything like this. Are you going to let this man walk away with _your_ money?"

The crowd's ardent denial barely had time to establish itself before a barrel-chested bald man stood in his seat,

"I'll fight him!"

The crowd roared its approval, clapping their hands and shaking the chain-link fencing that surrounded the cage.

Logan, who was, frankly, bored by it all, drained his drink and continued sucking his cigar. He faintly heard the manager announce the crowd's "savior", but thought nothing of it as the bell signaled the start of the round.

The bald thug, trying to take whatever advantage he could get, came in from behind and went for a quick shot on Logan's ribs. The wind knocked out of him, Logan crumbled to the ground and accepted a few kicks to the gut before curling his fist to meet the bald prick.

Logan was rather pleased with himself as he felt the man's knuckles crack and crumble against his own. Two rather nonchalant head-buts later, the latest in a long line of overmatched cage fighters fell to the ground.

His blood still boiling, Logan couldn't help but kick the man once more as the manager announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, tonight's winner- and still King of the Cage, the Wolverine."

XXXXXXXXXX

Selene sat at the end of the bar, daydreaming as she waited for Logan to collect his winnings.

[_Flashback_]

Selene opened her eyes to see that it was dark outside. Her blurry vision didn't tell her much, but it told her that they were likely miles past the motel that they had planned to stop at for the night.

"Logan, Hun, did we pass the town?" She asked groggily.

"No time to stop," he said tensely, "Can't let them find us. Not now."

"Logan, you're scaring me. I thought we agreed we wouldn't live only for fear anymore. What's got you spooked?"

"I won't let it happen again, Selene. I just… I don't know if I can protect him," his voice was strained, as if every syllable were a bullet through his chest.

Selene's mind snapped to attention, contemplating thoughts at breakneck speed before finally coming to the worst, and best, possible conclusion. She brought her hand momentarily to her abdomen, before bringing it to rest atop Logan's tight grip on the clutch.

"Logan, I need you to pull over."

Logan kept driving, his paranoia moving him onward.

"Logan." Selene warned, with no response. "LOGAN, PULL THE CAR OVER."

Even for the mighty Wolverine, there is no disagreeing with a woman who takes that tone. Logan eased onto the shoulder and killed the engine.

"Look at me. Hey, listen, alright? We're going to be okay. We are out, you will protect me, and we will run until we find someone to help us and we will get James back and we will have a family. Is that understood?"

"Selene, how can we just trust to fate that everything will be alright? That some group of do-gooders is just going to take us in and help us find our son? How can we trust anyone?"

"Because I have to believe that there are good people out there. If I didn't, I don't think I would be able to stand on my own feet. The world is just too hard to live in without people to hold you up. We just have to keep on driving. The further we get from where we were, the closer we'll be to the people who will help us stand. We can handle this baby, we can find James, and we can find our happy ending."

They sat for a moment, contemplating the lighter and darker sides of their future, before Logan kicked the engine back to life and they returned to the road.

[_End Flashback_]

"You want something new, honey?" The barman's question startled her out of her reverie.

"No thanks," she replied, bringing a hand over her greatly swollen belly, "I'm sticking with water." She looked up and smiled as Logan walked over to her.

"I'll have a beer," he said to the bartender in an offhand way before bringing his nose to Selene's hairline and his hand to the swell that contained their child. He would have been perfectly content there, had Baldy not so rudely interrupted.

"You owe me some money," he demanded, ignoring the mumbled protests of his companion, "Nobody takes a beating like that without a mark to show for it."

With a frustrated sigh, Logan helped Selene off the barstool and started to lead her out the door.

"I know what you are," the thug called after him. He eyed Selene's very pregnant form before continuing, "And I bet your little whore does, too."

Still on edge from a night of fighting, that one insult was enough to send Logan over the edge. In an instant of blind rage, the Wolverine had turned, covered the short distance between himself and the fool that dared insult his mate, and lined either side of his fat neck with a nine-inch adamantium blade, with the third slowly making its way to the fragile flesh surrounding the beating artery-

"Logan!" Selene's voice rang out like a pistol in the tense silence of the bar.

Blinking rapidly for only an instant, Logan regained his control, only to find the end of a two-barrel shotgun rising above his left ear.

"Get outta my bar, freak," the barman's voice nearly hid the tremble that shook through the man's body. Not wanting to be followed, he furrowed his brows and whipped his other arm around, neatly slicing the barrel into two even pieces. He stood there for a moment, growling his warning to any who would think to cause more trouble, before shrugging his jacket back into place and quickly guiding Selene out to the camper.

XXXXXXXXXXX

There was a tense silence in the cab of the camper as they made their way out of Laughlin City. While Logan's thoughts were occupied with the release of his alter ego, Selene focused on the prominent rise that lay in front of her. She was well into her eighth month, and she was really concerned about her size. Not that she was a vain woman, by any means, but even the day before she had given birth to James, she had not been this big. She didn't doubt that Logan noticed it, too, and, while he obviously loved the life growing within her, he could not bring himself to talk about it. While he often expressed his affection by kissing and gently caressing her belly, Selene could tell that he shared many of her unspoken fears. 'What if they get this child like they got James?' she often thought.

Objectively, she reasoned that there could be twins growing in her womb, accounting for her advanced size, but she didn't want to admit it to herself. While she would love and cherish any children she had, she only had to look around her to be brought back down to earth. They were on the run, on the road, and living cage match to cage match out of a rundown camper. Selene and Logan both knew that this was no way to raise a child, let alone two, so they never fully addressed the subject.

Like she often did, she pushed the painful thoughts out of her head, knowing that they could deal with the challenge when the time came.

Wanting to break the silence, Selene spoke quietly to her lover, "you know, you should wear a seatbelt."

Shaken out of his own thoughts, Logan bit back a laugh, "Never mind how you know I'm not buckled when you can't see well, I don't need advice from-"

Logan's retort was cut short as a tree slammed down in front of the speeding camper.

XXXXXXXXXXX

AN: Many quotes/scenes/images in this chapter were taken without permission from the first X-Men movie. While I will be incorporating my story into the X-Men movieverse, I won't be doing things as verbatim as in this chapter (I just love the cage fight scene so much!). Also, just to head off suspicion, NO, Rogue is NOT in the bar. She's not even in Canada at the moment (in my story), but we may be seeing her in the next few chapters…. ALSO, With this chapter we break 20,000 words, and the last chapter broke 100 reviews! WOOHOO!

WWE Hayley, Ithilya, stargirl 0507, .princess-, Wolfy Pup, Fairy Skull, EastAngels2009, trekkie907, Lucky's Girl, and immiD: Thanks for the kind reviews! I'm so glad y'all like it (P.S. Y'all ROCK for reviewing (especially my regulars!))

Jenny82: Thanks for joining us! Dr. Essex is tied to Mr. Sinister in my story. I haven't decided yet if he's going to be the mutant Sinister, or just a really evil mad scientist type. We'll see. As to Selene and Logan meeting the X-Men, stay tuned ;).

Bridgette Potter: Points to you for noticing a little plot seed. That's going to come into play later ;) .

CHIBI-CRAZY: Sorry, but here's another cliffy for you ;).


	17. Fight or Flight

She was leaning forward. She had heard a crash, hadn't she? Everything was so hazy. And what was that smell? Maybe Logan could- Logan? Logan?

Selene rapidly came to her senses as the cold wind whistled through the gaping hole in the windshield. She quickly brought a hand to her belly and sighed heavily as all felt right with the life growing within her. That settled, she had to get to Logan. She reached for the seatbelt, only to find it hooked on an unseen latch. She continued to wrestle with it, her desperation growing by the second.

About twenty yards down the road, Logan growled as he pushed his head out of the snowbank. Having taken care of the more serious injuries, his healing factor was bringing its attention to the gashes on his forehead as he slowly got to his feet. Still slightly dazed, Logan managed to crack his neck before he noticed the wreckage that was his camper. The trunk of the tree lay in front of the camper, while one of its larger limbs had snapped off in the fall and crashed through the living space of the camper. The entire thing was a death trap.

"No, no, no," he whimpered, "Selene!" he cried as he ran over to the cab.

"I'm stuck!" He heard her yell.

Logan opened the door, cut the seatbelt that trapped his lover, and helped her out of the cab before a shift in the wind brought a menacing scent to his enhanced senses. Slowly shifting himself into position between his mate and the potential attacker, Logan popped his claws, motioned for Selene to stay back, and cautiously advanced on the side of the road.

Selene's scream was ear-splitting as a huge creature leapt from the treetops and tackled her lover. Trying to stay away from the brawl, Selene made her way to the front of the car. Even though his wounds were healing as he fought, Logan was fighting a loosing battle against the giant, hairy beast. Not a minute after the fight had started, Logan found himself flying through the air and blacking out as he landed on the hood of the truck.

Selene gasped and tried to shake him awake, but to no avail. The enormous mutant advanced, his eyes hungrily taking in the sight of the helpless couple. Just as he neared his prize, the wind shifted unnaturally, sending the falling snow at him in furious flurries. He turned just in time to see a red jet of energy come crashing at him. He leapt away just in time, fleeing from the scene without obtaining his objective. His master would not be pleased.

Selene sat frozen as the two figures approached her. One, a white-haired woman, from what she could tell, made her way over to Selene, while the other, a man, Selene guessed, was reaching toward Logan's still form.

Seeing the mist that covered Selene's eyes, the woman said in a calming voice, "We are here to help you. Please, let us."

Biting her lip in uncertainty, but seeing no other option, Selene nodded her consent, and the white-haired woman brought her arms to Selene's shoulders, guiding her back to the waiting jet, with her Logan-laden companion struggling behind her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dr. Henry McCoy, often called 'Hank' by his friends, and 'Beast' by any who had seen him practice in the Danger Room, systematically continued his attempt to treat the mutant who lay unconscious before him, trying- in vain- to find any injury on the man who had reportedly brawled with Sabretooth. The very pretty, and **very** pregnant woman who had come in with him, Selene, as she had introduced herself, watched anxiously as she sat on the adjacent bed as Hank's blue-furred paw reached for a syringe and expertly inserted it into a vein to draw blood.

At least, that was his intention.

Jolted awake by the prick of the needle, Logan sprang from the bed and lunged at his attacker. Hank, who also possessed beastly agility, instinctively countered, throwing Logan to the floor beneath him. Logan rolled to his feet and came up, claws out and ready to attack. He was about to attack again when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. Selene was advancing slowly, her arms out cautiously in front of her as she tried to feel her way over to her startled lover.

"Logan, it's alright. They're here to help." She said, trying to calm him.

He didn't believe entirely about their hosts, but he believed her enough to remove his attention from his blue opponent and make his way to Selene's side, asking a slew of questions as he did.

"Are you okay? Is everything alright? Is the baby okay?" Even as he vocally asked those questions, dozens more buzzed around his head, 'where the hell are we? Who the hell are these people? Can we trust them? Who attacked us? When is-'

Just then, the medbay door slid open and a man in a wheelchair made his way in.

"If I may," he began in a friendly, yet powerfully toned English accent, "You are at Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters in Westchester, New York. I am Professor Charles Xavier, and the people whom you have met so far are a few of my colleagues. The man who attacked you is a dangerous mutant called 'Sabretooth', and yes, you can absolutely trust us."

Selene, who had already met and spoken with the Professor while Logan was still unconscious, knew most of the details regarding their situation, including the fact that Xavier was a powerful telepath. Logan, however, was not so well informed, and was, understandably, gobsmacked.

"… How the hell did-" Logan began, before his thoughts were interrupted by a mental intrusion

~_You're not the only one with gifts._ ~ Xavier's voice sounded in his head.

Glancing at Selene, who offered a comforting embrace in return, Logan turned back towards Xavier and asked, "What is this place?"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Far away, in a much less inviting atmosphere, a rather dejected Sabretooth made his way, empty-handed, to the chamber of his master. The smaller man, hearing only one set of footsteps, sat with his back to the door.

"Where is the subject now?" His cold, calculating voice asked.

"With them," Sabretooth growled his reply.

"And you saw physical evidence that the subject would meet our requirements?"

"Plenty." He snarled with a nasty grin.

XXXXXXXXXX

Black Gate Keeper, wolviegirl, AngelwithDirtyThoughts, Heidi, Lucky's Girl, immiD, Archermusician, EastAngels2009, Fairy Skull, Bridgette Potter, Hope and love, Jennyt82, and trekkie907: Thanks so much for your kind reviews. Hope y'all liked this chappie. :)

Kunfupandabear, Wolfy Pup, and CHIBI-CRAZY: Haha, sorry about so many cliffies. Hopefully this chapter didn't leave you with too much of a heart-stopper :P.

Thanks to everyone who's been reading! Hope y'all like it. –Roguejedi89


	18. Enlightenment

_Last time:_

You're not the only one with gifts_. ~ Xavier's voice sounded in his head._

_Glancing at Selene, who offered a comforting embrace in return, Logan turned back towards Xavier and asked, "What is this place?"_

Professor Xavier smiled as he replied, "As I said, this is a school for the gifted- for mutants- a place where mutants can come and learn without fear of persecution. I would love to discuss this and many other pressing matters, but I'm afraid that our Medlab is not the most comfortable of settings, particularly for Miss Selene. Perhaps if we adjourn to my private study…" He let the proposition hang.

Selene and Logan exchanged a glance, but a particularly well-timed twinge in Selene's back convinced them to the change of scenery.

As they made their way through the winding halls of the subterranean levels of the complex, Xavier continued to explain the workings of the school, as well as the mission of his team known as the X-Men, putting a particular focus on their continuing mission to cultivate better human-mutant relations and, above all, the protection and anonymity of their students.

"Which brings us to our current situation," Xavier continued as they settled into the study, "If you will allow me a brief explanation, you will be able to see why and how we wish to help you."

Logan nodded his consent.

"As I have mentioned, my own abilities lie in telepathy. To that extent, I have in my possession a device that amplifies my power, allowing me to connect with every living being on the planet. This machine, Cerebro, gives me many advantageous abilities concerning mutants in particular, one of which is the detection and location of Class 5 mutant activity."

Logan tensed, not liking where the conversation was going, but said nothing.

"That is how we found you in the first place, almost two years ago."

'Two years ago?' Selene thought, 'but that would mean-'

"You have exactly twelve seconds to start making sense, old man." Logan growled.

"Monsieur Lebeau, would you join us, please?" Xavier spoke into a small comlink before continuing, "The first time I sensed you, Logan, your power signature was exceptionally powerful, but also very brief. I was unable to get a lock on your position, but, from the raw emotion that I was able to glean, I knew that you were in trouble."

"I set my energies on searching for that same signature, and the second time-" Xavier was interrupted as a tall, dark-haired man strode in to stand behind the Professor, "The second time, I was lucky enough to pinpoint the location. After a bit of subterfuge, my associate here, Remy Lebeau, was able to infiltrate the facility that was holding you captive."

"Mon plaisir," Gambit nodded to the confused couple. Selene stopped for a moment at the familiar voice, but shook her head and continued to listen to the Professor's explanation.

"By the time Remy had gotten word to us of the severity of the conditions there, it was nearly too late. We mounted a rescue mission that same day, but did not make it in time."

"Wait," Logan interrupted, "so you were the ones who attacked that night?"

"Indeed," the Professor responded, "Sadly, by the time we reached your cell you two had already been evacuated. We searched the area for days, but could find no trace of anyone associated with the facility. We feared that we had lost you, and worse, that the men who ran the operation still had you in captivity at another location."

"Wait, did you find anyone else being held captive?" Logan anxiously interrupted.

"Luckily, no. From what we could tell, you two were a sort of preliminary trial, a test to see if the program worked before they went after more subjects."

Logan sighed his relief and the Professor cleared his throat before continuing, "I was greatly relieved to find your signature through Cerebro a few months after out rescue attempt, but, again, was unable to ascertain your location. Any trace of you that I found was barely enough to keep track of your actions as you were constantly on the move. It was not until last night that your Class 5 signature flared up again and I was able to send a team out to your location."

"And a good thing, too," Logan said, "What the hell was that thing out there?"

"Ah," Xavier sighed, "The man who attacked you was a particularly dangerous mutant called 'Sabretooth'. He usually works for Magneto, a powerful mutant whose motive I have yet to discern in all this."

"What does he want with us?" Logan growled.

"I'm not sure yet, but I assure you that the mansion is very safe, and you are more than welcome to stay under our protection until the matter is resolved." Xavier said. Locking eyes with Logan, he mentally added ~_you and your family are welcome to stay as long as you like. I have vast resources at my disposal, and I will use them all to keep you safe, if you'll let me_~.

"What about James?" Logan challenged aloud.

"I promise I will do everything in my power to get him back to you."

The sincerity of the Professor's words and the empathy in his expression spoke volumes to Logan. He could trust this guy. He didn't know how he knew, after only an hour's conversation, but he could trust him.

Logan turned to Selene, bringing his lips to the curve of her ear as he whispered, "what do you think, babe, do you want to stay here? Try looking for James their way?"

Mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausted from the last twenty-four hours, Selene could not find the words to convey her feelings. A simple nod would have to suffice.

"Alright, you've got yourself a deal," Logan told Xavier as he rose to his feet. He helped Selene off the couch and guided her over to the door where Storm waited to show them to their room, barely listening as Xavier and Gambit went into their own conversation.

"Good to see you back, old friend. I assume that you found the girl with little trouble?"

"Oui, Professor, this 'Rogue' girl was most pleased to find a friendly fellow like myself. After some persuasion, she agreed to come with me back to the Mansion- we only now just arrived." The man's thick Cajun accent hung in the air like the humidity in his New Orleans home.

"Good, good. If you would perhaps keep an eye on her, make sure she settles in alright?" The Professor asked.

"Oui, mon plaisir, Professor. It's a good assignment for me as well, non? The girl is quite the Southern beauty." Logan could practically _hear_ the Cheshire grin spreading across the Cajun's lips.

Logan could hear the Professor's light chuckle even as Storm led them down the hall and up to their new room and, hopefully, their new home.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

['Mon Plaisir' = "My pleasure" (from what tells me).]

AN: Oh, you lucky ducks, two updates in the same week! There was a lot of explanation in this chapter, so I hope it made sense/wasn't too boring. Also, WOOHOO! Today is the story's one-year anniversary! Also, also, here's some Gambit, for all you Cajun lovers out there (I will be putting in minor Gambit/Rogue hints here and there :) ).

EastAngels2009, Fairy Skull, Jennyt82, Black Gate Keeper, Rakuen91, Hope and love, Bridgette Potter, and trekkie907: Thanks so much for your kind reviews! You really keep me motivated to write! I do this for wonderful people like you! *Hugs* :)

CHIBI-CRAZY: This arc that I'm on right now doesn't really deal with James. I'm thinking about him on an extreme long-term scale. He will be mentioned, loved, and missed, but not central to the story for some time.

Ox King: I like Beast, too. He's going to be weaved in and out of this story, so you'll be seeing him around. :)


	19. Fight in Florescent Light

Selene knew that she liked Dr. McCoy, she really did, but that was hard to remember when the man had woken her up do damn early! No sooner had the sun peeked over the horizon that the blue-furred mutant had popped his head in the door and announced that he had arranged for a prenatal exam with his colleague in a nearby town. Somehow convincing her half-asleep brain that it was for the best, Selene managed to climb out of bed and start getting ready- convincing an entirely asleep Logan that it was for the best was another thing entirely.

On top of the early nature of the appointment, Selene was rather hoping to remain on solid ground for a little while longer. After spending a year on the road, she had been looking forward to staying in one place for more than a few hours, especially since they had only arrived the night before. Still, all things considered, she had woken up in a bed. She had woken up in a _real_ bed. She had woken up in a _real_ bed next to _Logan_. Yes, today would be a good day.

Selene smiled at the thought as she mentally made her way around the cab of the car. Scott was driving, Dr. McCoy was in the passenger seat, and Remy was sitting to one side, while Logan sat to the other. 'My own personal mutant SWAT team,' she mused inwardly. With Magneto and his cronies after them, as well as the bastards behind the facility still on the loose, Xavier wasn't taking any chances with their safety.

Upon their arrival, Gambit and Cyclops stood guard at the front entrance of the small clinic, while Beast led Selene and Logan inside, promising to wait in the lobby while they met with Dr. Moira Mctaggart, a long-time friend of both Hank and the Professor.

Selene and Logan had been in the exam room for only a few moments when Dr. Mctaggart entered.

"Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Logan," she said cheerfully, "my, Hank wasn't kidding when he said you were far along. I have to say, I'm not happy that this is your first prenatal exam." She lightly chided.

"We were… traveling under unusual circumstances." Logan mumbled noncommittally.

"Yes, Hank mentioned that as well," the doctor replied, "but, I'm not here to lecture, I'm here to make sure Mom and the little one are fine and healthy. If you would?" She motioned for Selene to lie down on the exam table. For a moment Selene did not respond, having not seen the gesture, but Logan, well used to taking care of his blind lover, whispered in her ear and gently guided her in place.

After a round of routine tests, Dr. Mctaggart told Selene to lift her shirt, happily explaining, "Now we get to the fun part." The sonogram machine came to life as the doctor slowly moved the handset. "Alright," Moira pointed on the screen, "here you can see the head, and here are the shoulders."

Logan's eyes glistened as the picture formed in front of him. His child.

"Is the baby okay, Logan? Is everything alright?" Selene asked in anxious wonder.

"Yeah, Darlin', the baby is beautiful." He murmured as he kissed her brow.

"Would you like to know the sex?" The doctor smiled.

Selene bit her lip in indecision before nodding.

"Congratulations, what you have here is a healthy baby boy."

Selene nearly burst into tears on the spot before Logan caught her in a passionate kiss.

Moira cleared her throat before moving the handset farther up Selene's abdomen, "Now, if you look again, you can see the head and shoulders of Baby 2, which seems to be another healthy boy."

The couple stopped abruptly.

"Another boy?" Logan asked.

"As in, twins?" Selene gasped.

"Well, not quite," Dr. Mctaggart smiled as she moved the handset yet again, "over here it looks like we have the head and shoulders of your third healthy baby boy."

Selene and Logan, quite unable to think at the moment, much less speak, said nothing.

"Tell you what, I'm going to take your blood sample down to our lab. I'll be gone for a little while, so you two can take a minute to think things over."

Selene managed to nod numbly in response, while Logan remained still as the doctor quietly made her exit.

"Three?" Logan finally managed.

"Three." Selene slowly exhaled.

The two were silent again for a while before Selene started, "I think… I think that we should stay at the mansion. Permanently."

"I…" Logan started to grunt, but trailed off.

"Well, it's safe, there are medical facilities, the boys can go to school there when they're older, and it's not like we have any other options, Logan, the truck was destroyed." She continued.

"You're right, Darlin'. I can't think of a better place to raise our four boys."

"Four?" Selene's eyes glistened at the prospect.

"Four." Logan said.

There was yet another long silence as the two pondered their future, one that Selene broke with a sudden laugh.

"What could you possibly be-?"

"She called us 'Mr. and Mrs. Logan'," Selene giggled, "I think we need a proper last name.

"What's wrong with your last name?" Logan asked.

"The orphanage gave me 'Smith'. Way to vanilla for our lifestyle, don't you think? And no, before you even say it, I will _not_ be 'Mrs. Wolverine'," She laughed.

"Alright, then, what do you propose, Mrs. Whatever-Your-Name-Is?"

"Well, I've thought about it before, and I was playing around with 'D'Amanta'?"

"… It sounds French. Where the hell did that come from?"

"Well, I always thought I looked kind of French. But really, the linguist in me loves the idea of having a last name that's an anagram for 'Adamant'," Selene said with a cheeky grin.

"Hmm…" Logan mused playfully, "Logan and Selene D'Amanta. It does kind of roll of the tongue, don't it?"

The playful discussion was cut short as Dr. Mctaggart made her entrance.

"Everything is looking good, I just have one or two more things to check," she said as she started rooting through the drawers behind the couple, eventually coming out with several syringes, which she proceeded to fill.

Logan paid her no mind, or rather, would not have, had not an eerie scent risen in his nose. Something seemed out of place. Something didn't smell ri-.

Logan turned just in time to see the doctor rushing at them with a full syringe. Moving purely on instinct, he released his claws and lashed out at her, catching the woman with his forearm and throwing her roughly against the wall. Not waiting for an instant, he gathered Selene up and rushed out into the hall only to be met by an animalistic roar. Standing in front of their exit was the monster of a man that had attacked them before.

Not even bothering to growl a threat, Logan stepped in front of Selene and dove claws-first at the behemoth. The two grappled at an unnatural speed, claws and teeth flashing in the florescent light. An instant later, they threw themselves into another examination room, out of Selene's sight.

Wanting to get Logan reinforcements, Selene took the opportunity and made her way down the now-clear corridor to where Beast waited in the lobby. She had nearly reached the door when a menacing figure blocked her way.

Growling in victory, Sabretooth brought his lethal claws towards the helpless Selene, only to be tackled from behind by a flash of blue.

"Sorry, my dear," Beast said between blows as he fought with Sabretooth, "I would have come to your assistance sooner, but I was occupied with a rather slimy situation."

As Beast continued to fight his opponent, Logan, who was still the worse for wear after the encounter, stumbled back into the hallway and helped Selene out to the parking lot.

What they found was something akin to a battlefield. There were several smoking holes in the ground and nearby buildings, with many more red beams filling the sky as Cyclops staved off a frog-like mutant. Gambit, who had been assisting Cyclops, turned to help the struggling couple, only to push them out of the way at the last second as Dr. Mctaggart, who was now morphing into a stunningly blue woman, threw herself into an acrobatic assault meant for Logan and Selene.

Gambit, now fighting the blue mutant with a quarterstaff, Cyclops, still fighting the slimy green mutant, and Beast, whose fight against Sabretooth had followed Logan and Selene out to the lot, were all hard pressed as they tried to give the couple long enough to escape.

Just then, the screech of car tires caught Logan's attention as Storm and Xavier drove up to their rescue. Just as Logan was reaching for the car door, it suddenly spun out of control, whipping madly around in circles and shooting back to the other side of the lot.

With a sudden dread, Logan felt every atom around and in him become charged as a caped and helmeted mutant floated above them.

"Sorry, Charles," the older mutant said, waving his hand, "I just can't have you interfere this time," he finished as the rest of the cars in the lot suddenly trembled and quaked before sliding from their places to completely encircle and entrap Storm and Xavier in their vehicle.

Hearing the distinctive 'Snickt' as Logan rereleased his claws, Magneto slowly turned to face the couple, "You must be Wolverine."

Growling, Logan took a step toward his attacker, only to find himself frozen in place.

"That remarkable doesn't run through your entire body, does it?" the villain sneered, slowly opening his hand and stretching out Logan's limbs in the process, causing Logan to grimace in pain.

"Stop! Stop it!" Selene screamed in the background.

Drawing his will and blocking the pain, Logan managed to growl, "What the hell… do you want… with her?"

"Her?" The old mutant's eyes widened in amusement, "My dear boy, whoever said I wanted her?"

Logan barely had time to understand the statement before Magneto callously threw him against a wall, knocking him unconscious.

Selene could barely register the events happening around her. Magneto and his cronies had escaped, along with a comatose Logan. The X-Men had come to her, asking her if she was okay, or something to that effect. They had also apparently freed Storm and Xavier, but Selene didn't notice any of it.

Logan was gone. Her invincible protector, her eternal lover, he was gone.

By the time they had returned to the Mansion to regroup and Hank had escorted her to her room to rest, Selene could not even muster up the will to cry.

XXXXXXXXX

"So," a dejected Scott asked, "what do we do?"

"I think we may have been more fortunate than we believe," Xavier told his stunned team, "I had hoped to glean some of Magneto's plan from him, but his helmet seems to be somehow designed to block my telepathy. However, I was able to catch a glimpse from his cohort, Toad."

The team listened eagerly, hoping that they had gained some clue to help Logan.

"From what I could see, Magneto has built a machine of some sort, and has been testing it with mutants of varying power for some time." The Professor replied.

"What does it do?" Storm asked.

Searching the images in his mind, Xavier gasped, "He is testing it on humans, trying to turn them into mutants. Each trial has failed… Leading to the deaths of both the mutants powering the machine, as well as the humans."

"Then why would 'e be after Logan, if 'is machine does not work?" Gambit asked.

Xavier just shook his head in frustration.

"Wait," Scott said, "you said that he's been using mutants of varying power, and that none of them have worked?"

"Logan is a Class 5 mutant!" Storm followed Scott's line of thought.

"And his healing ability would likely help him stave off the machine's detrimental effects long enough to complete the change that Magneto is looking for," Hank added, "but where would he attempt to operate it?"

Xavier searched his memory again, seeing only flashes of a Green Lady. "The Statue of Liberty," he announced.

"The UN Summit is meeting tonight on Ellis Island. If Logan can generate enough power, he could wipe out almost all of the world's leaders," Scott gasped.

"Or even all of New York City," Xavier added. Having sensed the full extent of Logan's powers during his sessions with Cerebro, the Professor had little doubt that Logan could power Magneto's machine to such destruction.

XXXXXXXX

Having established a plan, Xavier and Beast were on their way to comfort Selene, while Storm, Cyclops, and Gambit returned to their quarters to prepare for the night's mission- the latter of whom was interrupted on his journey.

"I heard about what happened with Mr. Logan," Rogue murmured as Gambit approached her in the empty hall.

"Oui, chere, but not to worry, de X-Men will rescue 'im lickety-split, non?" Gambit responded.

"I want to come, but the Professor won't let me," she pouted, trying her best not to look like a petulant child.

"And 'tis for de best, chere. The battlefield is no place for a belle such as yourself."

"But I want to fight! I want to help, like y'all have helped me."

"Helping you is something that you need not repay!" Gambit laughed, "And besides, Gambit think he get the best of the deal, meeting you, chere," he finished by placing a chaste kiss on her hair.

Rogue started to protest again, but was silenced as Gambit pulled her into his firm embrace.

"You promise Remy that you won' go lookin' for trouble, chere."

The two stood silently in an intimate embrace for a long while, which Gambit took as a silent 'yes'.

XXXXXXXXX

It was not the roar of the jet, nor the rumble of the basketball court opening up that stirred Charles Xavier from his troubled thoughts- more troubled when he felt an additional presence speeding away on his beloved Blackbird-, just as it was neither emotional nor physical pain that made Selene call out for Dr. McCoy, but rather the reason behind both instances was the pool of wetness gathering on Selene's sheets, and the waves of confusion Xavier felt rolling off her in response.

The triplets were on their way.

XXXXXXXXXX

AN: Wow, that was such a marathon- my longest chapter yet! (And, of course, the Cliffie to end all cliffies (sorry about that, but I had to do it!)). As ever, hope y'all liked it, and thanks for reading. (P.S. Roguejedi89 would love to be 'Mrs. Wolverine' ANY day of the week!)

stargirl0507, EastAngels2009, trekkie907, Fairy Skull, CHIBI-CRAZY, Rakuen91, and wolviegirl: Thanks again SO MUCH for all your kind reviews! They just tickle me pink and make me want to write even more!

Black Gate Keeper: I considered that option, but it wouldn't have worked with the rest of my plot ;).


	20. Fight for Life and Light

AN: Sorry for the delay, other obligations cropped up. Without any further ado, Roguejedi89 presents the finale of Arc II of Return From Darkness. Please to enjoy.

XXXXXXXXXX

Safe in its fog-shrouded approach, the Blackbird soared silently to its destination at Liberty Island. After a less-than-graceful landing, the three X-Men made their way onto the shore. Glancing up at the statue's modified torch, Cyclops, Storm, and Gambit grimly made their way towards the base of the landmark.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

High above the heroes, Magneto stoically waited as Sabretooth finished positioning the still-unconscious Logan in the machine.

"I know your primitive mind knows only bloodlust," Magneto spat somewhat disdainfully, "and I will not forbid you from the fighting. However, you have a specific duty to perform, and I will not accept failure in this."

Sabretooth growled his acceptance before turning to exit the balcony.

XXXXXXXXXXX

The interior of the monument was eerily quiet as the X-Men made their way inside, but it did not remain so for long. No sooner had they passed through the metal detector that an uneasy feeling spread over the team.

Gambit, more experienced in stealth than the other two, motioned for them to remain behind as he went further in to investigate. Cyclops swore under his breath as the Cajun disappeared around a corner, but his distress was short-lived as Gambit reappeared shortly afterward.

"Well?" Cyclops asked.

"Didn't see no one, but we sure ain't alone," he responded as he rejoined the others, one of his hands slipping easily into the pocket of his coat as he began to charge a card- only to be thrown back as the queen of hearts exploded into his chest.

"Now how can y'all be fooled so easily?" The real Gambit exclaimed as he rushed in to engage his doppelganger, "Gambit's **much** more dashing than this one here!"

The two Gambits fought their way into another room, and before Storm and Cyclops could make their way over to help, a slimy green tongue shot out and wrapped around Storm's ankle, hurling her at breakneck pace up onto the small balcony level above, with the Toad leaping up in hot pursuit. Distracted by the plight of his teammates, Cyclops barely had time to react when an animalistic roar signaled Sabretooth's lunge at his neck. Only just dodging aside in time, Cyclops knew that he would be of little help to his comrades as he was locked in his own desperate battle.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The fight was beautifully choreographed as the shapeshifter's practiced martial arts danced toe-to-toe with Gambit's street rat brawling expertise. Mystique's carefully measured spin and arcing kick was countered by the Cajun's off-balance jab at her grounded foot. The thief's sly, but messy, punches were easily countered by the blue woman's deft dodging style. When even a flurry of charged cards would not do the trick, Gambit resorted to a bold aerial move that he hoped would end the skirmish. Using his quarterstaff as a pole-vault, Gambit threw himself into a graceful arc, distracting Mystique with his bold maneuver as yet another charged card lay at her feet. This one, the three of diamonds, to be specific, hit the mark, and left the shapeshifter out cold in the shadows of the storage room.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Even as wind and lightning raged in the balcony above, Cyclops was hard-pressed to keep up with his own opponent. Red laser beams filled the lobby as Sabretooth quickly circled his prey, waiting for the right moment to go in for the kill. Finding his opportunity, Sabretooth threw a powerful backhanded punch that launched Cyclops clear across the room into a glass display. Grinning wickedly as he went in for the kill, Sabretooth could hardly contain his rage as Magneto's voice sounded through the earpiece.

"It's time. You are needed at the torch."

Displeased that he would not finish the kill, but deciding that tormenting the Runt would be better sport, Sabretooth turned to make his way back to the top of the statue.

A few moments later, Storm and Gambit roused Cyclops before making their way to the upper levels of the complex.

XXXXXXXXX

Logan's head throbbed as he finally came to. He tried to rub the tension out of his neck, only to find that his hands were firmly bound to bizarre-looking controls.

"What the fuck…?" He mumbled to himself as he tried to discern his surroundings. Luckily, or unluckily, as the case turned out to be, his questions were soon answered.

"You'll be called a hero, you know." Magneto's pompous sneer rang out from the entrance of the contraption.

"Yeah? And what'll they call you?" Logan growled.

"Me?" Magneto asked innocently, "I'm not doing this for the recognition. I'm doing this for our mutant brothers, so that they may be freed from the tyranny that has been thrust upon them. That is my vision."

"'Course, 'cause you're really selfless. Oh, wait, no you're not, you kidnapped someone else to do your dirty work and power your 'vision'."

Magneto's jaw clenched, but he said nothing as he made his way to the lower balcony where the X-Men were planning their strategy, allowing Sabretooth to enter in his wake.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"How are we going to get up there?" Storm asked as the torch came into view.

Cyclops was about to offer an idea, but he was cut short as a band of metal stripped itself from the wall and crashed into him. Soon the air was filled with what seemed like dozens of the bands, and before long all of the X-Men were helplessly bound to the side of the statue's inner walls. Worse still, they were stuck there as Magneto began to preach his twisted philosophy, stressing a particular point of his monologue by ripping the visor off of Cyclops' face.

XXXXXXXXX

"You were unconscious for a longtime, Runt." Sabretooth toyed with Logan as he entered the machine. "Now, being the generous fellow that I am, I'm willing to fill you in on what happened while you were out."

"Spare me the theatrics, you overgrown fur coat." Logan growled.

"You scent was all over her, you know. It practically wafted from the bitch," Sabretooth continued, "and there's nothing sweeter to me than takin' a woman that so clearly belongs to another man."

Logan futilely thrashed violently against his bonds, his blood boiling in his veins.

"She screamed at first, before the crying started. Of course, I'm no fan of criers, so I had to cut on her a bit to get the screaming back."

"You lying bastard!" Logan snarled, his feral side mere inches from the surface.

"She was a good fuck, I must admit. But little frails like her only last so long, and I had to dump her corpse so I could get on with the boss' more pressing business."

"No," Logan whimpered, "no, no NO-uuuuaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHH!!!!" All humanity ripped from him in that moment, Logan's persona was dashed to pieces as the Wolverine clawed his way out, screaming for the blood of the creature who had killed his mate, and any other living creature within a hundred miles.

He snarled fiercely as he ripped at his restraints, using every ounce of his strength to try to free himself so he could tear the throat out of the man in front of him.

Unfazed, Sabretooth calmly jumped down to the lower balcony where Magneto held the X-Men captive.

"He's given over to his feral side, he's at full power." Sabretooth quietly told him. Magneto grinned wickedly and handed Sabretooth Cyclops' visor before levitating his way up to his enraged subject.

Turning towards his captives, Sabretooth gave a wicked sneer before nonchalantly tossing the visor down the endless curving staircase. As the visor fell, so too did the hopes of the entrapped X-Men as they were forced to listen to the enraged screams that echoed from the bowels of the machine.

None of them could have known that, far below the commotion, the visor came to a halt as it reached the end of the stairs. Its structure sturdier than one would expect, it seemed to be completely intact, even as a slender, gloved hand picked it up and tentatively carried it back up to its rightful owner.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Back in the mansion, Selene's brow was streaked with sweat as the pain of labor coursed through her. Another contraction hit, and she gasped in pain as Dr. McCoy coached her through it.

"They're coming slowly," Hank told Xavier as the contraction passed, "We're going to be in for a long labor, one that could even last for days."

Xavier shared Hank's worry, but was surprised when Selene panted a response, "Good thing, too. 'Cause these boys aren't coming out until my man gets back safe." The men said nothing, so Selene continued, "He wasn't at the birth of his first son, and I'll be damned if he misses this one." Determination blazed in her fogged eyes.

Xavier cracked a sad smile. Selene was a strong woman, and she would make it through these trials, but, from what he could sense of his team, he did not know if the rest of his students, or Logan, in particular, would be so fortunate.

XXXXXXXXXXX

The scent of fear permeated the small enclosure, and Sabretooth reveled in it. As long as he had to babysit, he might as well have a little fun. He closed in on the female, bringing his razor-sharp claw to rest on her delicate features.

"Scream for me." He growled.

Of course, distracted as he was, he could not see that, behind him, Gambit had loosened his ace in the hole- literally- as the ace of spades made its way out of his sleeve and into the workings of the metal that bound him. In a flash, the card had detonated and Gambit, who was a little singed around the edges, was rolling into action, leaping at Sabretooth with all his strength.

With his enhanced senses, Sabretooth was quick to respond, grabbing the Cajun and roughly throwing him out of the balcony and onto the head of the statue. Eager to have another chance at some action, Sabretooth was quick to follow, leaving Storm and Cyclops alone in the enclosure. Mostly.

Out of the corner of her eye, Storm saw movement. Fearing that it may be Mystique or Toad, she began to summon a wind, but her efforts were cut short.

"Rogue!" She exclaimed.

"Rogue? What are you doing here? Get away!" Cyclops warned, fearing that Sabretooth would return and make short work of the innocent girl.

"I wanted to help." Rogue answered, meekly holding up Cyclops' discarded visor.

Suddenly, a figure dropped in behind her. Gambit was bruised and battered, and his expression grew only sadder as he saw Rogue stand before him.

"Oh, chere, why you do this?" He wailed in despair.

Not a moment later, Sabretooth dropped in to finish the job he had started on the roof. Seeing Rogue's distress at the man crumpled beneath him, he smiled all the wider as he bent down to grab the Cajun's throat.

Seeing her Remy in danger, Rogue's paralyzing fear was suddenly washed away. She turned to face Cyclops and screamed, "NOW!" as she shoved his visor into place. Red light filled the enclosure as Cyclops blasted Sabretooth through the wall of the statue and out into the cold water below.

Cyclops and Storm had barely freed themselves when the torch burst to life, shattering to pieces as the spinning rings of Magneto's contraption took its place. Logan's roars of rage and anguish were clearly audible now, and only served to remind the X-Men how little time they really had.

Furiously thinking of ways to save the feral mutant, the X-Men seemed at a loss. It was actually Marie who pointed out the solution.

"Mr. Logan is powering the machine, but it looks like Magneto is controlling it. If we stop him, wouldn't that stop the machine?" She reasoned.

"Gambit, can you vault your way up there?" Cyclops asked.

"I can, but if Magneto has any power about 'im, I don't think I could take 'im, state dat I'm in." Gambit winced as he indicated the many wounds that Sabretooth had inflicted upon him.

"Then take me with you." Rogue demanded. When furious glances turned to her, she hurriedly explained, "Remy can get me up there, and I can steal Magneto's power and turn off the machine."

"It seems to be our only option." Storm sighed.

Cyclops nodded his acceptance, and Rogue moved over to wrap her arms around Gambit.

"You hold on tight now, chere, we only get one shot at dis, non?"

Logan's weakening cries and the menacing white ropes of energy that began to spread from the machine spurring them on, Gambit and Rogue took to the air, landing right beside Magneto. Seeing the X-Man as a greater threat, Magneto instantly threw Gambit against the wall of the torch's base, knocking him out cold. He was about to turn on Rogue, but she was faster. In an instant, she had locked her hands on the old mutant's face, and was not about to let go.

Memories, emotions, and power rushed into her like a mighty river. She wanted to stop, feeling overwhelmed, but she knew that she needed enough to save Mr. Logan. Both Magneto and Rogue cried out in agony as the power continued to flow between them, until finally the girl could take no more. She let go, and the older mutant fell dazed at her feet.

Wolverine lay near death now, he had slumped to his knees in exhaustion long ago. His mutation was struggling to compensate for the energy drain, so it left physical injuries untreated, and many of the wounds that had been inflicted during his earlier fight with Sabretooth were viciously reopened, blood streaming from multiple punctures, but still the machine took from him.

Magneto was unconscious, but the rings continued to spin!

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Selene cried out again as another contraction hit.

"LOGAAAAAAAAAAAN!" She screamed.

A sense of dread overcoming her, she whimpered, "I need you, Logan," before another wave of the contraction hit her again and sent her screaming in pain and sorrow.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Acting purely on instinct, Rogue summoned her new powers over magnetism and set them to stopping the machine. Somewhere she could hear screaming as UN representatives fled from the approaching white light, and yet it seemed silent as Logan's cries had slipped away into silence. Concentrating harder, Rogue summoned up as much power as she possibly could, demanding that the rings stop in their tracks.

The contradicting forces from the machine's inner workings and Rogues sudden command were too much for the machine, and it suddenly and violently shuddered and shattered apart completely, extinguishing the deadly white light in one sudden burst.

Not even taking a moment to catch her breath, Rogue rushed over to Gambit's side. Seeing that he was battered, but alive, Rogue moved on to see to Logan.

"Mr. Logan?" She asked tentatively as she gently helped him to a lying position. That's when she noticed… he wasn't breathing.

XXXXXXXXXXX

His eyes fluttered open, only to see a foggy expanse of nothingness.

"Where the hell am I?" Logan muttered.

"**You're dead**."

"What the?" Logan turned frantically, trying to find the speaker. He stopped suddenly when he came face to face with… himself? "Who the fuck are you?" Logan demanded.

"**I'm you, in a sense**." The other, somewhat wilder-looking version of himself replied.

"Elaborate." Logan sarcastically remarked.

"**Suffice to say, you would call me 'Wolverine'. I'm your feral half, but I don't have time for leisurely discussion. We have business to attend to. Remember the whole 'you being dead' thing?**"

Logan tried to fabricate a response, but nothing came.

"**Listen, we have four boys to raise, a woman to love, and a few doctor and military types that need to see the end of our claws. There's no rolling over and dying here, so you turn your ass around and head toward the light.**" Wolverine demanded.

At a loss for an argument, Logan nodded to his alter ego, turned, and started to leave. "Go into the light, rather cliché, ain't it?" he grinned, then paused, asking, "wait, 'a woman to love? Selene is-."

Wolverine returned the grin, then slowly approached Logan and threw all his strength into a blow to Logan's chest.

"Ow! What the fu-?"

Wolverine threw another blow, the pain echoed through Logan's body as if he were hit by a bus.

The foggy dimension seemed to fade, but the Wolverine managed to add in one more thing, "**Take care of our woman, now!**" was all that Logan heard before he blacked out.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Putting away the defibrillator paddles, Dr. McCoy sighed with relief as Logan's pulse returned. He had been in quite a state when the Blackbird had flown back in. Hank had been sure that Logan wasn't going to make it. Now that his pulse was somewhat steady and he had been bandaged up, there seemed to be at least a shimmer of hope. Normally, Hank would state outright that a patient with such extensive wounds would not make it through the night, but Logan's healing powers gave him an ounce of a chance.

However, if the machine had drained Logan's power so fully that it didn't return in the next twenty-four hours, Hank knew that Selene's children would never meet their father.

Against all his better judgment that Logan remain in the ICU of the medlab, Hank had the gurney wheeled out so that Logan was only a few feet away from his laboring wife. Hopefully, the proximity would give strength to both patients in the next crucial hours.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

By the next morning, Hank was surprised that Logan was still breathing, although he had shown no signs of drastic improvement. The tired doctor had little other choice but to remain with Selene and bring her comfort as her labor progressed.

The entirety of that day passed slowly, with the blue-furred doctor making his way back and forth between his patients, of whom Gambit (and the other X-Men, to a lesser extent), were also added. Thankfully, by that night, all but Selene and Logan were dismissed from the medlab (with Rogue taking full charge of Gambit's recuperation).

Xavier, who had had enough medical training to be competent in most situations, finally demanded that Hank take a break and rest through the night, promising to keep watch over the two struggling lovers.

Hank acquiesced, and readily returned to the medlab the next morning. He attended to Selene first, telling her, "It's almost time, my dear."

"I know," Selene said, tears in her eyes as she looked over at her unconscious lover, "I just wanted so badly for him to see it."

Hank squeezed her shoulder in reassurance, then turned to inspect Logan. He moved first to replace his bandages, removing the old bloodstained ones, only to find pink, freshly healed skin beneath them. Removing the other gauze patches, he traced along the wounds in amazement, before a hand shot up and caught his own.

"That tickles…" Logan managed to cough.

"Logan?" Selene gasped, "Baby, how do you feel?"

"Fantastic." Logan wheezed, his wits still not completely about him. Coming more completely to his senses, Logan's eyes shot back open, turning to see a very much alive- and very much in labor- Selene.

"Oh, Selene!" He choked. Although he wanted to leap for joy and wrap his woman up as tightly as he could, his battered body had only the strength to reach one arm across the gap between them. Selene gladly followed suit, grasping her man's hand like she would never let it go. She grasped it even harder as another contraction hit.

"Oh, what have we here?" Hank said as he returned to the laboring mother, "Looks like our boys are finally ready to make an appearance. Selene, you'll feel another contraction in a moment, and when you don I need you to push."

For how long Selene had already been in labor, the birth of the first child was relatively quick. It seemed only a moment later (for everyone else in the room, not for Selene) that the infant's wails filled the room.

Hank was about to cut the umbilical cord, when Logan managed to ask, "could I do the honors?" Hank smiled, then brought the wailing infant over to his father. A quiet, almost reverent, 'Snickt' echoed through the room, and a moment later the baby boy was cut loose from his mother.

"Hello, Michael," Logan murmured as he finished the deed. Selene smiled from across the gap, reveling in the short break she was allowed before Michael's brothers made their appearances.

True to form, baby Daniel and baby Liam were quick to follow, each receiving the same cord-cutting treatment that their brother had.

Son after the infants had been cleaned and cared for, the three blue bundles lay safely in their parent's arms. Babies and parents alike were all exhausted, and were all soon fast asleep, content at last to be a family, with only the whirring of medical equipment to disrupt the peace and quiet that they had so completely earned.

XXXXXXXXXX

In another corner of the continent, red gleaming eyes studied a particular news story that had caught some attention. The idea was brilliant, but, to his assumption, only a class 5 feral would be strong enough to power it to such an extent. And what's this? It seemed that a whole team of mutants might have been involved.

"Haha, it seems as if I have found a perfect target. A collection of mutants so ripe for the plucking."

Thinking of the product of his last successful endeavor, which was even now sitting in the next room, Mr. Sinister allowed himself to be optimistic enough as to have hope. "Perhaps I shall even be lucky enough as to meet some old friends there…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

AN: This marks the end of Arc II of Return from Darkness. The third and final arc has a general outline, but not enough to pump out chapters in rapid succession. In other words, there may be some delay in updates (and likely some filler (but good, fluffy (possibly lemony) filler)).

CHIBI-CRAZY, Black Gate Keeper, trekkie907, Fairy Skull, stargirl0507, Mesonoxian, ren-hatake, freeprincess, Hope and love: Thanks a billion for your reviews! Whenever I get into a writing slump (like I was with this chapter) your reviews are what kicks my rear in gear and inspires me to write! Thanks!

Bright-Eyed Athena: I did twist some things around, but I've always like Rogue, and I wanted to see her as a stronger character than she was in the movies (I think this chapter did the trick on that, at least a bit). Thanks for the review!

Wolviegirl: you essentially hit on why I'm writing this fic. I also want Logan (and Selene) to have a large happy family, since he was always so alone and got the short end of the stick in life, I felt like he deserved to have a real family. Thanks for reviewing!

Bridgette Potter: Thanks! About Dr. Mctaggart, I just imagine that she went off to a storage room, Mystique took her place, and by the time the doctor got back the X-Men and Brotherhood had fought (leaving her to clean up the mess / be very confused as to what had happened while she was gone).

Lucky's Girl: Thanks for the reviews! I'm leaving it open as to which version of Sabretooth this is. I lean more towards the original X-Men version, but if the reader wants to imagine the Origins version, that's fine too (I actually imagine the version from the 90's cartoon :P ). As to the Logan/Rogue relationship, I think I'll have them be teammates, but I'm transferring much of Rogue's interaction to Remy (which I don't think anyone will protest too much :P ).

Thanks again to all of my readers, reviewers, and people with favorites/alerts! And by the way, this is almost four times my usual chapter length. I could have easily split it into at least two parts and left y'all with another terribly cliffy (but I didn't). I would've gotten more reviews if I'd split it, so I'd really appreciate it if anyone who's on the fence/ not a normal reviewer made an extra effort to review. Let me know that my work on this extra-long chapter was worth it! Tell me what you think! (I may even see my way into bringing in a Lemon sooner rather than later if I really get a lot of feedback, just in case bribery works on any of you… :P ).


	21. Nightmares

AN: Even school, play practice, work, holidays, and the biggest case of writer's block ever aren't excuse enough for my absence. Roguejedi apologizes profusely and begs your forgiveness.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Something was wrong. Even in his sleep, he could sense it. Logan opened his eyes only to see the other side of the bed empty. Instincts suddenly firing on all cylinders, Logan leapt out of his bed and made his way out of the room he and Selene shared in the mansion.

As he entered the hallway, her scent hit him like a ton of bricks; her blood was everywhere. As he raced down the hall, he picked up another scent. Snarling and unsheathing his claws as he went, he followed the scent to burst out the doors onto the front lawn.

There they were, frozen in the moonlight. Selene lay motionless, her eyes glazed over, blood pooling around her and as it pumped sluggishly from her mangled torso. She still took shallow breaths, and was barely alive, but the children she carried within her were most surely dead.

Sabretooth stood above her, his claws dripping with her fresh blood.

"Aww, poor Runt, can't even defend his woman," he growled with twisted pleasure.

Able to only comprehend one course of action, Logan charged the cackling mutant, claws raised and ready to take the bastard's head off in one swipe.

"Give me your best shot," Sabretooth snarled.

Logan closed the distance between them in an instant, and just as he was about to strike, he glanced at Selene's prone form in time to hear her scream, "Logan, please **wake up**."

Logan woke with a start, sitting bolt upright in bed. Everything came sharply into focus, and he realized it had all been a dream. Sabretooth was nowhere in sight, the boys had been born two weeks ago, and Selene was sitting right next to him, shaking him out of his reverie.

He pulled her tightly to him, wrapping his arms around her and burying his nose in her hair. He inhaled deeply, desperately wanting to confirm her existence with every one of his senses. Sure enough, the scent of fresh July rain washed over him, followed closely by… fresh blood? Reluctantly pushing Selene back to arm's length, he saw three shallow gashes running down her forearm in a distinct, evenly spaced pattern.

"Was it the dream again?" Selene whispered as she brushed her uninjured hand along his bicep in an attempt to comfort him.

"Aw, Darlin', I'm sorry." He whispered, reaching for her injured arm.

"Shh, don't be sorry, it's not your fault"

"No, it IS my fault. It's my fault you can't even sleep in your own bed without getting your arm sliced off!" Logan clenched his fists in frustration, and then gasped as the fresh scabs between his knuckles reopened. "Ugh," he hissed as the adrenaline from his nightmare faded and the pain returned, "I'm sick of this 'no powers' shit."

"I know, babe. Hank said it would be a while before your healing factor recovered from the Liberty Island thing. Until then, you'll have to heal like the rest of us mortals. Although, I think I know one way to help," she grinned lustfully, "do you want me to kiss and make it better?"

"…Maybe." Logan huffed.

Selene tenderly kissed each knuckle, before making her way up his arm, neck, and jaw, finally meeting his lips. The two moaned together as Selene moved to straddle Logan. His hands were just slipping into the band of her panties when-.

One of the babies started to cry.

They both sighed as Selene laughed pitifully, "We just can't catch a break, huh?"

"Nope."

"You stay here and rest, I'll get him," Selene said as she moved to get up, knowing full well that Logan was not yet at full strength. Even though it had been over two weeks since Liberty Island, Logan's healing factor had not yet caught up to the trauma he had suffered, and he could barely move without severe discomfort.

Selene felt her way across the room to baby Liam's crib. She could tell from his cry that he was only frightened by the commotion, and just needed to be rocked back to sleep. She slowly made her way over to the rocking chair nestled in the corner, and, just as she was about to sit down, she tripped on the unseen leg of the rocking chair, stumbling and nearly dropping Liam. Luckily she recovered in time, but the event did frighten Liam enough to cry louder and wake his sleeping brothers.

Over the chorus of wailing infants, Selene, practically in tears herself, told Logan, "I can't do this much longer! How am I supposed to take care of a bedridden husband and three newborns when I can't even see where I'm going?"

Logan was wincing in pain as he struggled to get up and help his beleaguered love, when Hank and Ororo came to the rescue. Having become used to being on-call nursemaids for the overwhelmed duo and their newborn trio, neither of the X-Men needed direction as they retrieved the wailing Michael and Daniel from their cribs.

"Thanks." Logan grimaced through gritted teeth as he lay back down, cursing his own weakness.

"It's no trouble, Logan," Ororo mumbled, although her sunken eyes, the result of many late-night babysitting sessions, said differently.

"Hank, I can't do it anymore. I need you to fix my eyes, before I end up hurting someone. I almost dropped Liam just now, and I can't, I just can't-" Selene babbled near-hysterically.

"Shhhh," Hank whispered to both the infant in his arms and the overstressed mother by his side, "Let's get everybody calmed down and back to sleep, and we'll check everything out in the morning."

Selene nodded weakly.

After much rocking and many lullabies, all three babies were put back in their cribs. Selene and Logan themselves had actually fallen asleep themselves in the process, and Hank had had to carry Selene from the rocking chair back to the bed. He felt truly sorry for the innocent pair who had been through so much, and, even in his exhaustion, felt nothing but the desire to help them in any way he could.

Yes, everything would look better in the morning.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

AN: Short chapter. It was supposed to be longer, but it's 4:00am and I just HAD to get something posted or I knew I'd never get it done. Again, forgive me. Hopefully I'll have the rest of what was supposed to happen here up soon, and Arc III of Return From Darkness will finally get off to a good start.

Obscure Stranger, artsybohemians, Supernatural Passion, Ima Rape You, Kiki, cecily79, Lucky's Girl, Nekokitten1123, Bridgette Potter, Fairy Skull, wolviegirl, AnnabelleLee13194, trekkie907, ren-hatake, and Hope and Love: Thanks so much for the reviews! I hardly feel like I deserve them after I've been so long in posting :P! But, honestly, if I didn't have wonderful folks like you leaving reviews and having such a committed interest in the story, I don't know if I'd have had the gumption to get back into it. Fear not! As long as there's someone here to read, I'll never give up writing!

To all my readers: This is the last arc of the story, all of your questions about James, Mr. Sinister, the army/scientist types, Selene/Logan, etc. are going to be answered, so be patient and hang on for the ride :).


	22. The Reason for the Darkness

The last week had been a veritable hell for the inhabitants of the mansion. Hank and the Professor had spent every waking moment in the lab with Selene and Logan, both of whom were edgy about being around so much medical equipment. Logan's status had improved; he was now able to walk with the assistance of a cane- which he, of course, took as a sign of weakness, and therefore despised. But Logan knew that Selene needed his support during her extensive medical examination, and his ego wasn't going to keep him from being by her side.

Over the course of the week, Selene had become increasingly distressed. She knew that Hank and the Professor meant well, and that it was all going to help her in the end, but every new scan, shot, and test brought her back to the facility just a bit more. When Hank had come to her room that morning to tell her that they had found some results, she found herself torn between relief that she would not have to be subject to any more tests, and anxiety over the test's results.

"Oh, Logan, I'm so worried. What if they say they can't fix me? What if I can never see my boys' faces?" She whispered hoarsely as she stood at the foot of the bed.

"Shh," Logan comforted her as he limped to her side, "don't worry about it, Darlin'. It's Hank! There's nothin' in this world he can't fix. He'll have you right as rain and have your eyes shinin' by suppertime. Don't you doubt that one bit." He curled his free arm around her waist, bringing her into his protective embrace as she recollected herself.

After a few minutes Selene nodded her head, and the two headed down to the lab to see what news Hank and the Professor had in store.

The pair entered the lab to find Hank and Professor Xavier pouring over files and reports. Logan guided Selene over to a chair, then stood behind her, gripping her shoulder in support.

"So, Doc. What's the verdict?" Logan asked, the crack in his voice betraying the apprehension that he was trying to keep hidden.

"Well," the blue mutant explained, "we've figured out the cause of your blindness. You see-"

Logan and Selene tried to keep up with Hank's diagnoses, but found themselves unable to do more than nod dimly as the doctor described photonucleotides and mentioned half the elements on the periodic table.

"What Hank means to say," the Professor interrupted Hank's enthusiastic description, "is that there is some small blockage in the connection between your brain and your eyes, and we just need to perform a simple, safe operation to remove it. If all goes well, you should have your sight back by the end of the week."

"Oh." Selene hiccupped in surprise, "Well, it's not by dinnertime, but I think that'll be alright, Doc."

"Yes, that is the good news." Hank smiled, "however, there is another point of concern that I'd like to discuss with the two of you. In Selene's scans, we found something… well, _strange_, for lack of a proper definition."

"Listen, Blue, I don't like the sound of 'strange' in my girl's scans. Explain it quick- and in small words this time." Logan growled.

"Well, as you see here," Hank said as he brought one of Selene's head scans onto the screen in front of them, "-oh… Sorry, my dear, poor choice of words," he indicated to Selene.

"Get on with it, Hank." Selene insisted.

"Well, we found this," Hank pointed at what appeared to be a small, black square inside Selene's skull. "It's some kind of organic microchip, something I've never seen before. I can only presume that it was implemented during your time in captivity, and that no good will come of it if it is allowed to remain inside your noggin. I suggest, with your permission, that we remove it when we do the surgery to return your sight."

Selene had to swallow the bile that had risen in her throat before she was able to respond. "Get that thing out of me."

Hank nodded. "If you're ready now, we can begin preparations for surgery immediately."

"Do it."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

There were many brave souls in Xavier's mansion. Students and teachers alike who had struggled through adversity all their life, some who had faced down superpowered villains, and many who were in constant fear of the power that they housed within themselves. Though, of all these brave residents, only two were brave enough to be in the second floor suite. Only Rogue and Gambit had the physical and mental constitution to babysit three-week-old triplets for the majority of the week.

"They cute when they asleep, non?" The Cajun whispered as he peeked in on Liam's crib. Hearing no response, he turned to the nearby rocking chair, only to see that his Southern Belle dozing. "You cute when you asleep, too, Chere." He murmured as he crept close, leaning in to brush a stray white lock away from her cheek. He remained there, his lips a breath away from hers, for many moments.

"Come an inch closer, Cajun, and I'll suck the life out of ya."

The nimble southerner danced away from his waking princess, wanting the kiss that her sleeping form had promised, but wary of the destruction that the waking voice had ensured.

"Oui, mon Chere…"

A long, heavy silence permeated the room.

The two had experienced an unwelcome distance in their relationship since the Liberty Island incident. True, while the week of babysitting the boys while Selene recovered from her surgery had given them some much needed time together, there was still an invisible elephant in the room that wasn't being mentioned.

All patience exhausted from the week's trials, Rogue decided to do away with pretense and come out with it, "Things are different between us. Come out with it, what's wrong?"

Gambit bit his tongue.

"Remy," she whispered harshly, "you tell me right now, or so help me, I will scream, wake these boys, and leave you to death with all of them!"

The Cajun's eyes widened at the thought. "No! No, Chere. Anything but dat."

"Alright, then," Rogue whispered gently as she sat at the foot of the bed they shared in the nursery suite, "out with it, Swamp Rat."

"Mon Chere, I was just so scared." He murmured.

"Huh?"

"Dere you were, all sweet an' innocent an' vulnerable, Sabretooth an' Magneto walkin' about de whole place, and Gambit stuck up on some wall and couldn't protect you. I couldn't protect you, Chere. You promised Gambit you wouldn't come, and you walk right up to the bad-un's with a smile."

"Not quite, Cajun."

"But you promised, Chere, to stay here, out of trouble."

"I didn't answer. You asked me to promise, and I didn't say anything. There's a difference…"

"Just promise me you not gonna go out against the bad-un's again."

"Nuh-uh, no way, Sugah. I'm gonna get myself trained up, and I'm goin' out with y'all," she grinned slyly, "how else am I gonna know my man's safe?"

"Your man?" Gambit asked, surprised by her forwardness.

"'Course you're mine. Unless you're not interested. 'Cause I could always go look Hank up. I've got a thing for blue, you know." She teased.

"Naw, Chere, the good doctor need to find his own woman, 'cause you're mine."

With a graceful, sweeping motion, he reached to her neck, brought her thin scarf to her lips, and leaned in for the kiss he had yearned for all these long months since meeting her. Their lips met through the gauze, he reveled in her scent, as she dove into the touch that she had been denied for so long.

They slowly reclined together, bringing the intensity of their love onto the bed-

-And Daniel woke up, crying.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

AN: I AM SO, **SO** SORRY! I was abroad for a month without a computer, then the lead in a play, then catching p on all the homework that I didn't do during the play, and the story suffered. Sincere apologies all around. I have the next chapter outlined, so it should be up relatively soon *crosses fingers for luck*. Thanks to everyone who's kept reading and reviewing!

Strangefish, Koharu Veddette, NagainaFier, Leaf, Eva, black-sage13, Lucky's Girl, American History Lover2009, Rakuen91, Mesonoxian, Hope and Love, ren-hatake, Fairy Skull, trekkie907, and kungfupandabear: Thanks so much for your reviews and your continuing support. I'm always so excited to hear that people are enjoying the story, and I'm very grateful for your feedback and encouragement. Thanks!

Bridgette Potter: regarding the kids having powers, you'll have to wait and see (but it would be pretty useless having a mutant breeding program that didn't produce mutants, wouldn't it? ;) )


	23. Return of the Light

Logan was inconsolable as he paced the hall outside the med lab. Selene had been prepped for surgery almost as soon as the furry doctor had finished explaining the procedure, and now there she was, under sedation and under the knife, while he was left outside to wait and worry over his mate.

He had remained by her side while they waited for the anesthetics to take their effect. Leaning heavily on his cane, he grasped her hand, offering her support while thanking his lucky stars that his Selene could not see the nervous tension written over his face.

"I'll be right here, Darlin', and I'll see you when you wake up," He promised.

"I'll see you, too," Selene slurred happily as the drugs took effect. Once she was safely asleep, Hank had ushered Logan out, and the waiting game began.

That was three hours ago. What could possibly take this long? Just as he was considering slashing down the lab doors (a bad idea, considering that his nonexistent healing factor could no longer deal with his claws), Hank and the Professor came wearily out.

"Is she alright? How is Selene?" Logan asked almost frantically.

"The procedure went well," Hank began, "We removed the blockage from her eyes and the microchip without much mishap, but it was a very invasive procedure. The chip was inside her skull cavity, which is a veritable minefield in and of itself. We won't know anything for sure until she wakes up."

"When?" Logan demanded

"Hopefully within the hour, you can wait with her-" Hank was cut off as Logan took off towards his sleeping mate, "-… until then," Hank finished for nobody in particular.

Inside the lab, Logan saw Selene stretched out on the med table. There were bandages over her eyes and around her head. The removal of the chip had only required that a small area of her head be shaved, and the rest of her locks would easily hide that area until it grew out. 'She'll like that,' Logan thought as he stroked her hand.

"Hey, Darlin'," He whispered to her "Doc said he fixed you up real good, so don't go mucking about, alright? You heal up nice and good, and we'll get back to our boys. God, I can't wait for you to see them," he smiled, "they all have your nose and my hair. And from what Rogue and the Cajun have been telling me about their cryin', they've probably got my temper, too."

With that he kissed her hand, content to wait until she woke. He heard the hydraulic door open behind him, and the slow whir of an electric wheelchair approach.

"She'll be fine, Logan. I can already feel her consciousness coming around," The Professor said.

A stressed silence filled the room. Xavier somewhat nervously broke it by asking, "Marie and Mssr. Lebeau have agreed to watch your boys for another week while Selene recuperates?"

Logan slowly nodded. Xavier continued on to what he knew would be an uncomfortable line of thought. "You know, Logan, it is entirely likely that you have a similar device implanted in your brain."

Again, Logan nodded.

"Selene's procedure was difficult and dangerous, but she should fully recover. You, on the other hand, I have more concerns about. With your adamantium plating, getting through to the chip to remove it will be a much more invasive procedure, and, while you survived its implantation while in captivity, with your muted healing capabilities, I'm not sure you would survive the extraction process."

"You sayin' you can't fix me?"

"Not precisely. I'm saying we don't know what the chip does, nor do we know if or when your powers will return. What I fear is if your chip takes action… And Selene's doesn't."

"You think I could hurt her?" Logan demanded.

"Until I know more about the situation, I'm afraid I can't say. For now, concentrate on your mate and children. Give me time, and I will do my best to undo the evils that those people put upon you." Xavier promised.

Unable to say more, Logan nodded again, and turned his attention back to his lover. Taking the hint, Xavier quietly took his leave, allowing the feral mutant to mull over the grim possibilities the future might hold.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Minutes seemed like hours as Logan waited for Selene to wake. He was about to nod off himself when he heard her stir.

"Mmmh, Logan?" Selene asked, her voice cracking over her dry throat.

"I'm here, babe," he said as he firmly clasped her hand.

"Did they fix me?" She asked groggily.

"I think so, Darlin', but we're going to have to wait and see. Doc said your brain should be fine, and that your eyes would take about a week to heal up proper."

"That's good," Selene yawned, "You just tell Hank that my brain's alright, and I'm going to take another nap."

Logan smiled. Things were finally looking up for him and his little clan. Clutching his cane, he went out to fetch the blue doctor.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Everything looks good," Hank told his impatient patient as he finished Selene's one-week checkup. Dr. McCoy was happy to see that Selene's eyes had healed up nicely, and that she had suffered no cranial trauma from the removal of the chip.

"What do you think, doc," Selene asked excitedly as she brought a hand up to her bandaged eyes, "can I take the bandages off yet?"

"Better not, my dear," Hank said, seeing the dejected look on Selene's face, he continued, "I just thought we ought to let Logan in first. Unless, of course, you want my furry face to be the first one you see," he teased.

"Oh, yes, yes, yes!" Selene cried happily. "Send in my man, I want an eyeful of him."

Selene heard the doors of the med lab open, giddy to think that she would no longer rely on sound to know the world around her.

"Everything okay, Darlin'?" Logan asked, worry clear in his voice.

"Doc gave me the okay," she said as she reached up to her bandaged brow, "all that's between you and me is this bandage." She shivered in anticipation.

Logan brought a calming hand up to her own. Exhaling her anxiety, Selene and Logan moved together to remove the bandage.

A flood of white light overwhelmed her senses. Slowly, things began to come together; the gray tile of the ceiling, the metallic fittings of the room, and a broad-shouldered, dark-haired man standing directly in front of her.

As his features came completely into focus, and her clear grey eyes locked on his forest green for the first time, she could only gasp.

"Oh. Hot. Damn."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

AN: School, finals, writer's block, bluh. School's out in three weeks, so I should be able to get back into the swing of writing after that. Short chapter, but an important one. Hopefully only a couple more chapters of "filler" before I can fully leap into Arc 3 (I still have a few more affairs to put in order before we get to the good stuff.) Thanks again to everyone for reading, reviewing, and putting me on favorite and alert. It means a bundle to me. (The last chapter was a little light on reviews. I won't hold out on you guys to boost my reviews or anything, but clicking that review button does add fuel to my writing fire. Please, let me know what you think!)

Bright-Eyed Athena, ren-hatake, and NagainaFier: Thanks for the wonderful reviews! I love hearing from you!

Bridgette Potter: I hadn't even thought of the baddies tracking through the chips. Wonderful new ideas are brewing in my head. :)


	24. Heated Visions

AN: Warning, Lemon content below.

"Oh. Hot. Damn"

Selene was in awe. The bandage had only just fallen from her eyes, and she was met an absolutely mouth-watering man. For two and a half years she had been blind, but it was well worth the wait. A few moments from now she would gaze over his well-defined chest, her eyes would skip along his broad shoulders, and she would marvel at his strong arms and chiseled jaw, but for now, her eyes remained locked on his. In his forest-green gaze she could see all that he was, and all they had become together. He was her mate, her one true companion. He had been her anchor in the storm, and her light in the darkness. He was all she could ever hope to have; she loved her with her entire self, and he loved her back.

Tears of joy pricked at Selene's gray eyes, and suddenly she was unable to contain herself. She leaped off of the steel bed and into her lover's embrace. Logan eagerly caught her lips with his own, his cane momentarily forgotten as his hands wrapped tightly around her.

Selene vaguely remembered making her goodbyes to Hank and the Professor, but, although her eyes recorded all with crystal clarity, the trip back to hers and Logan's room seemed to be a blur. When the couple burst into their private quarters, Selene pushed her lover roughly down onto the bed.

"You sit right down there, mister. I've been blind long enough, and I want to see every inch of you." Selene commanded with a fiery intensity.

"Whatever you say, Darlin'," Logan acquiesced with a smirk. He laid himself prostrate on the bed, waiting for his lover to take her fill.

Selene gazed hungrily over his frame before biting her lip and whispering, "I think I'll start at the top and work my way down."

She slowly slinked her way across the bed, lining her body up on top of Logan's as she dug her hands through his wild mane and captured his lips with her own. Her moves were slow and deliberate, taking stock of every hair and subtle line of her lover's body as her lips worked their way down his structured jaw, along his corded neck, to the juncture of his shoulder.

It was a slow, agonizing torture that the minx was administering to him, and Logan writhed in pleasure as she nipped lightly at his chest before moving down his abdomen. Selene carefully catalogued each segment of her mate's six-pack abs before traveling to more sensitive territory.

Logan's jaw clenched as Selene played along his length. Her slender fingers worked deftly along his sensitive organ as she skillfully brought him to attention. All the while she kept her gaze locked on her mate's expression, fascinated by his fluttering expressions.

"Alright," Selene gasped huskily as she positioned herself over him, "Why look when I can feel?" She brought herself down on him agonizingly slow, quivering with pleasure as she molded to his rigid length. Tired of waiting passively, Logan grabbed her hips and pulled her down to him, sheathing himself to the hilt. She gasped in surprise as she adjusted to him, but her pause was short-lived as he began to move in her. Thrusting up as she rocked on him, Logan could almost feel the heat building in her slick folds, even as his own release came torturously close.

Before either could reach completion, Selene brought herself down to her lover's chest, and moved to his side. Following her lead, Logan completed the roll, coming up on top of her and bringing all of his weight on her as he continued to fill her. Taking her lips passionately with his own, Logan mirrored her earlier exploration, tracing his rough hands along her gently curving form. He brushed gently along her side, causing her to stiffen with pleasure. He settled finally, one hand generously working her breast, the other cupping her face and neck as he moved his attentive lips to the nape of her neck and the juncture of her shoulder.

Gasping with anticipation as the pressure slowly mounted, Selene gazed intently on her lover. She rocked against him a few more times, watching as the heated friction between their two bodies became too much and he reached his release first. His body stiffened as he flowed into her, and his perfect, forest-green eyes fluttered behind half-closed lids as he pulsed in his bliss.

When the sensation of her lover's heat flowing through her became too much, Selene found herself following her mate in ecstasy; her folds throbbed and tightened around her lover, spreading divine heat down to her toes and bringing a flush to her fair cheeks.

Fully spent, he collapsed onto her, resting himself on her heaving breast. The two lay for a long time, silent in the haze of their afterglow, happy to see, feel, and know each other so completely.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next day, Selene was up with the sun, anxious to retrieve her brood.

"Selene," Logan mumbled sleepily, "it's not even six thirty. Rogue and Gambit have likely been sleep deprived as is without you barging in at all hours of the night."

"I want to see my babies, Logan. I've waited so long…" Selene trailed off, pacing away her nervous energy.

"Tell you what," Logan groaned as he fully shook himself out of his sleepy stupor, "How about you and I watch that sunrise, take a few minutes to calm down, then we go see the southerners."

Selene pouted for a moment, realizing that she was being unrealistic, but wanting her way nonetheless.

"Come on now, come back to bed." Logan finished, a tone of finality laced heavily in his voice. Selene knew he was in the right, and climbed back into bed, hoping that the hours passed quickly so she could lay eyes on her sons.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Much as she had when she saw Logan, Selene nearly burst into tears when she was led into the nursery. Before her were three tiny forms, each wrapped in a blue blanket and topped with a shock of black hair.

"Oh, my precious boys," she cooed as she carefully accepted one of the babies into her arms.

Rogue smiled as she transferred the babe to his mother, "That there is-"

"This is Daniel. I know." Selene smiled gently, never looking up from the bundle in her arms.

"She never seen them before," Gambit gasped to himself, "How did she-?"

"Mothers don't need an X factor to have superpowers, Gambit." Selene laughed.

Logan smiled at his contented mate as he himself rocked Liam gently, "So, what do you think of starting your own brood, Cajun?" Logan asked.

Gambit balked at the question and glanced at the blushing Rogue before laughing, "Remy think he like the little ones running about, but, maybe not all at once, non?"

The two couples visited for a long while, fussing over the babies most of the time. It was late in the day when Logan and Selene collected their sons and headed towards their own rooms. With Selene cured and the family once again together, the couple felt at peace. They slept well that night, happy just to be together.

Still, morning came, and the realities that they had so blissfully ignored the day before came crashing back to them. Logan still had a chip stuck in his brain, and, though the triplets were once again with their parents, the couple knew that their family was far from reunited.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

AN: Now comes the part where Roguejedi makes excuses for the length between updates. Mostly, finals, camping trip, and writer's block are to blame. Now that I'm free of my school obligations, I will be able to concentrate more on the story. I'm going to try to update regularly, and I aim to have the story completed by the end of summer. The seeds of Arc 3 are being planted; let's see how well they come to fruition. It's an exciting time for Return From Darkness!

Masanya, kungfupandabear, Bright-Eyed Athena, and Lamminator: I'm SO happy y'all liked it! I must admit, Selene's reaction to Logan might be my favorite line in the story so far, and I'm glad everyone else got a kick out of it. (If anyone deserves that reaction, it's Wolverine, eh? :P ). Super-dee-duper thanks for the reviews! :)

Bridgette Potter: Glad you liked it! As ordered, more sex. ;)


	25. A Dark Decision

The following months provided a calm, happy time for the residents of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Logan and Selene decided to stay permanently at the mansion, and had adopted teaching positions. Logan taught some History classes, as well as taking over Mechanics for Scott, while Selene took on a small English class. The couple happily, albeit rather tiredly, raised their infant sons, glad to finally have a home.

While simple lessons took place by day, a completely different type of study occurred at night. After classes got out, Selene went back to the suite to care for the children, while Logan joined Hank and Xavier in the subbasement. The trio focused on three pressing problems that concerned Logan and his young family. At times Logan and the Professor would examine his memories, trying to discern any clue as to who had captured them, and, more importantly, where they were holding James. Other times, Hank and Xavier would study the chip that had been removed from Selene, hoping it would yield some clue as to exactly what had been done to the couple during their time in the facility. Their third task, often the one that weighed heaviest on their minds, was what to do concerning Logan.

The feral mutant had still not yet recovered his healing capabilities after they had been drained on Liberty Island. Worse, Logan seemed to be weakening. Without his healing factor to compensate, his adamantium skeleton was literally weighing him down, making it harder for him to even walk, and leaving him physically exhausted. Though he tried to hide it, Hank and Xavier could tell that Logan was relying even more on his cane, and they wondered if even that would be enough to support their friend for much longer.

Finally, after months of study, Hank, Xavier, and Logan made a breakthrough concerning the chip they had recovered from Selene.

"It's a timer," Hank announced, wonder evident in his voice.

"So, what does it time?" Logan asked.

"Well, we know that the procedures in the facility were meant to produce class five feral offspring," Hank began, hearing Logan growl lightly at the technical categorization of his children, "tell me, Logan, have you or Selene ever felt an overwhelming, almost unnatural desire to… copulate?" The doctor finished, thankful that his blue fur hid any hints of a blush.

At first, Logan was confused by the question, but the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. "There have been a couple of times, I can't speak for Selene, but I know I went feral. It wasn't like the other times I'd gone berserk, though. Most of the time I get in dangerous situations, I get so mad that I just lose it and slice up anything I can reach. These two specific times, it was like animal lust," Logan swallowed, feeling a hint of arousal just remembering the feeling. He collected himself before continuing, "The memory is hazy, but it was like my skin was on fire, I wasn't thinking clearly. I felt like I was going to die, and that the only thing in the world was Selene. I just **had** to… you know… **be** with her…" Logan let the description trail away as he realized he was discussing his sex life with the two mutants.

"Logan," the Professor chimed in, "you say your memory was hazy. Why is that?"

"'Cause it wasn't me; it was the Wolverine." Logan responded.

"May I assume that 'Wolverine' is the name of your feral alter-ego?" Xavier asked.

Logan nodded, "All I remember is waking up with several days worth of flashbacks of me and Selene going at it like dogs in heat."

"Wait," Hank said quietly, running through a train of thought, "Could it be that simple?"

"Simple? What're you onto, Hank?" Logan asked.

"Logan, you said this hazy feral period has happened twice, do you remember when they occurred? Specifically, where do they fall in a timeline concerning Selene's pregnancies?" Hank asked hurriedly.

Logan faltered for a moment, his eyes wide, before answering, "Each time we lost it was a few weeks before we found out Selene was pregnant."

"It all makes sense. The chip is a timer that literally sends you and Selene into heat. If my assumptions are correct, you will have stayed in that state until Selene became pregnant, something I wonder if the heightened senses of Wolverine might have been able to detect?" Hank rambled.

"Uh, yeah, I guess so," Logan answered, still somewhat dumbstruck.

"And, if my timeline is correct, the timer will have been set to go off roughly six months after the previous birth, triggering the chemical release responsible for your amorous condition."

"Wait, why six months?" Logan asked.

"During pregnancy, a woman's body undergoes vast physical changes to support the child," Hank explained, "If a woman were to become pregnant almost immediately after the birth of a child, particularly over multiple pregnancies so that she was almost perpetually pregnant, her body would become so overtaxed that it might cause harm to her or the child- especially if she were carrying multiples. Six months is a good allotment of time for the woman's body to return to some sense of normalcy."

"If your hypothesis is correct, Hank," Xavier began, "then would it not be logical to assume that this chemically-induced heat would occur again six months after the birth of the triplets?"

"Entirely likely, yes." Hank agreed.

"The boys will be six months old next week," Logan said darkly, "Selene's chip is out, so she might not go into it. But my chip is still in."

The room was silent as the three men considered the worrying possibilities.

"You gotta lock me up, Chuck," Logan said, desperately, "You gotta lock me up. You can't just send me away, 'cause I'll find her. I remember that feeling, and I know I'd swim oceans to find her."

"Impossible," Hank argued, "Without the release, you would remain in that hypercharged state indefinitely! At the very least, you'd go mad, if not die altogether."

"Well, if you can't leave it in, and you can't lock me up, then you've gotta take it out!" Logan demanded.

"Logan," Xavier tried to reason with him, "Without your healing factor, your adamantium plating will be hard to maneuver around. You could die."

"I don't care, I'm not going to hurt her." Logan growled.

"You would leave her, then? Widowed mother of your sons? You would abandon the search for James?" Hank asked.

"I think you should discuss this with her, Logan." Xavier said.

"Yeah, well, it's not always up to you, Chuck," Logan replied, "If you two think you can do it, I want it done tomorrow." There was a sense of finality in his tone that was not lost on either of his friends.

After a long pause, Xavier sighed, "Very well, Logan. We will make our preparations."

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AN: Finally got some answers out in this chapter, and more to come. There's so much to do and so many answers to give, I feel like this is more of a mini-arc in and of itself than filler. There's still a bit more to cover before we get to Arc 3 (which will deal with finding James and those that are holding him hostage). Thanks to everyone who's following the story, reviewing, favoriting, and putting on alert. I love y'all to pieces! Let me know what you think about what's going on! I crave your feedback, and love hearing your ideas. :)

Carlypso, Bridgette Potter, and kungfupandabear: Thanks for the reviews! I'm glad to hear the last chapter (particularly the steamier parts) was so well liked. I'm also glad that Selene finally got her sight back, being able to let her see Logan and her babies was really special for me. Also, I forgot to mention this in the last chapter, but thank you/congratulations to Bridgette Potter for giving the 200th review. Woohoo! That's an exciting milestone, and I'm really grateful to everyone who's reviewed to help me reach this place. Y'all are the best! :)


	26. Trapped Again in Darkness

Logan was quiet and withdrawn that evening as he returned to his suite. Blaming it on his usual lethargy, he said little for the rest of the night until Selene went to sleep. The night was hot, sticky, and uncomfortable, and Logan knew that he would find no rest. At first, he sat in the small adjoining room that acted as a nursery, gazing on his infant sons. They were almost six months old now, and even now they amazed him.

They took after him quite strongly; each had deep green eyes and a wild mass of black hair, but they had Selene's nose. His sons. The thought still floored him. He, the vicious Wolverine, had helped create these tiny, fragile, perfect things. Before he had been captured, he had often felt a stab of jealousy when he saw fathers and their sons. In the back of his mind, he had always felt a desire to sire and raise cubs of his own, but never thought it would have been possible. But now, here they were, and they were loved- so loved. He knew they would be raised right, with people to love them, and protect them, and teach them to be men when the time came.

Rather reluctantly, he left the nursery, closing the door gently behind him. He slowly made his way over to his sleeping mate. He relied now on his cane more than he ever had before, the weight on his mind seemingly doubling the weight of his adamantium-laced bones.

As gently as he could, he eased himself into bed and curled himself around his mate. Lightly groaning in her sleep, Selene automatically shifted herself against him, pressing herself up against his firm chest. Logan slowly wrapped his arm around her waist, and buried his nose in her hair, trying not to think about how this may be his last night at her side.

He inhaled her scent, reveling in the smell of fresh July rain that identified his love. He remained there, awake at her side, for the rest of the night, thinking until the dawn came. At first, he wanted to wake her, to tell her of his plans, make love to her, or just to talk and enjoy her company. Finally, he decided against it, knowing that this calm silence, just being able to hold his mate in his arms, was all he wanted.

Just after dawn, Logan knew it was time to go. He kissed Selene gently on her brow, thinking once more of his unwavering love for her, before making his way down to the subbasement.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Selene woke about an hour later; Liam was wet, Daniel was hungry, and Michael just wanted to be held. As soon as the boys were settled, Selene went about her morning routine, making sure everything was settled before heading down to the common area where Rogue, Gambit, and Storm were waiting for their honorary nephews. Selene was somewhat surprised that Logan had not been around that morning, he didn't have class, but she figured he was tinkering in the garage or down working with Hank and the Professor. She sat for a while, visiting with the X-Men as they all entertained the triplets, when she was suddenly hit with an overwhelming feeling that something was horribly wrong. Without a word of explanation, she left the boys with the adults and bolted for the elevator.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

All three men had been nervous when the operation began. They all knew that the next several hours of surgery would require skill, luck, and maybe divine intervention in order to succeed.

With his healing factor knocked out, Logan only needed standard anesthetics in order to fall unconscious. Once he was stable, Hank and the Professor went to work. Minutes and hours dragged by slowly as they tried to maneuver around Logan's adamantium-plated skull. At long last they surpassed it, and were able to locate and remove the chip. That's when everything went to hell.

The trauma of the surgery, coupled with Logan's already weakened physical state, finally proved too much. The lab was suddenly thrown into a frenzy of action and harsh beeping alarms as Logan went into cardiac arrest. Hank and Xavier worked frantically over their dying friend, reaching for a defibrillator as they heard the lab doors open.

"What have you done?" Selene shrieked as she rushed to the table. Xavier interfered, blocking her path as Hank continued his attempt to revive Logan.

"Selene, you mustn't-" Xavier was cut off as a dreadful sound filled the room. Logan had flatlined.

Selene pushed past Xavier as she reached the table and screamed into Logan's deaf ears, "Don't you leave me, you stupid ass!" she sobbed, beating the table in agony.

Realizing that he could do no more, Hank slowly respectfully backed away from the grieving woman.

"Don't you dare die on me and leave me alone!" She continued to cry, "And you!" She glared at Hank, "Don't just stand there, fix him!"

Hank stood, sorrowful in the knowledge that the man on the table was beyond his help. Slowly wheeling over, Xavier reached a hand up to Selene's shoulder, "Selene," he began, only to be interrupted as she turned violently towards him.

"No, don't give me that. He's not dead, he _can't_ be. He's **invincible**, for God's sake! No, it doesn't end here. You," she pointed at Xavier, "plug me into his mind. If he can't hear me out here, you help me reach him in there."

"Selene, I-" Xavier started.

"Just do it!" She screamed. Reason was entirely beyond her now. Seeing that there was no other way to make her accept the situation, the Professor began to link to her mind. He knew that there would be no response from Logan. It would be like trying to play a blank record. His heart nearly broke, knowing the harsh reality that he was going to have to show Selene, but he did it anyway.

With a sudden rush, Selene was again surrounded by blackness. For a terrifying moment, she was reminded of her solitary time in the facility, but she knew her mate needed her. She cried out into the darkness, "Logan, you stupid, stupid ass, you come back to me right now, or so help me, I will search every inch of this darkness and drag you back myself."

As the echo of her voice faded, Selene was left with nothing. All of her senses were dead in this hellish void.

"Logaaaaaaaaaaaan!" She wailed again. When her call went unanswered and faded again into the darkness, Selene fell to her knees and wept openly. After what seemed like an eternity, she heard a whisper above her sobs.

"… _ot…"_

"Logan?" She asked, hoping against all logic that it might be true.

"…_Mus… te…"_ The whisper reached her in the silence, _"Protect…"_

"Please, baby," Selene whispered, pleading to any higher power that might be listening, "come back to me."

"_Must protect Mate."_ The whisper grew louder as a figure faded in before her. With a startled sob, Selene burst out crying again as her mate appeared in the darkness.

"Logan, is that you, baby?" She asked, terrified that it wasn't true.

The figure shook its head, _"Must protect Mate."_ He said again. As he drew closer, Selene saw a new ferocity in his forest green eyes.

"You're Wolverine, aren't you?"

The Wolverine nodded.

"And can you come back to me? Both of you?"

The Wolverine looked puzzled, as if straining to decide, before nodding slowly again. _"Must protect Mate. Must protect Cubs."_

"You do protect us, babe." She smiled through her tears as he turned to leave. "Wait," she called out to him, stopping him, "You said Logan would come back, but will I ever see _you_ again?"

The Wolverine considered this before sniffing her once and responding, _"Not yet. Not soon. Must wait for new cubs." _

Selene blushed at the idea as the figure before her shimmered slightly. Suddenly, there was a softness, a gentleness to his form that was not there a moment ago. He was her Logan again. He moved to her and began to speak, but was interrupted when an overwhelming force compelled them both to leave that dark, lightless place.

Knowing they were returning to the real world, Selene crashed into Logan; kissing him soundly before whispering, "See you on the other side."

All of a sudden she was back in the medlab. The monitors were still screaming that her lover had flatlined, and, for one terrible moment, she had thought it had all been a dream, when suddenly-

_Beep._

The heart monitor peaked once, weakly. Then again. Then, as suddenly as it had all stopped, Logan's vitals rapidly returned to normal. His heart beat rhythmically, his lungs breathed powerfully, and bone, tissue, and even hair realigned themselves around his open scalp, leaving no trace of the damage that had been done. Then, with a slow, deliberate flutter, Logan's eyes opened.

While Hank and Xavier remained frozen in shock, Selene flung herself at her lover, locking his lips with hers with all of the passion she could muster.

When the kiss finally broke, Logan weakly muttered, "That was fantastic."

"You are so stupid!" Selene cried, tears still streaming down her cheeks, "Don't you _ever_ do that to me again, you stupid, stupid ass!"

"It appears that your healing factor has returned at a most fortuitous time, my friend," Hank said after a few moments, tears running down his furry cheeks, "perhaps it just needed an episode of severe trauma in order to kick start it again."

"Most fortuitous, indeed," Xavier agreed, "Come, Hank, let us leave them alone for the moment. I'll be keeping an eye on you, so to speak, in case you need me." The psychic turned out of the room quickly, lest the tears that pricked at his own eyes get the best of him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A week later, all had returned to normal in the mansion, but the chips, which lay forgotten in lieu of Logan's dramatic recovery, would not remain idle. Although no exterior change betrayed their activity, the chips sent out a pulse that not only would have activated an unnatural passion in Selene and Logan had they remained unchecked, but also sent out a signal to a very eager recipient.

Many miles away, buried deep in an underground fortress, Dr. Nathaniel Essex, or, as he preferred to be called now that he was not under the watch of the government, Mr. Sinister played over his latest test results. Feral 1, though he was only two years old, was excelling in his training.

"Excellent," Sinister purred as he followed the infant mutant's progress, "If only your brothers could join you. Well, any day now Mommy and Daddy should-" He was cut off as the screen in front of him lit up. "Aha, speak of the devil." He grinned evilly as his instruments centered in on the location of the signal. "Westchester, New York," he read, "Oh, Charles, you shouldn't have," he murmured, plans of retrieving his stock playing over in his mind. With a school of mutants protecting them, and his own force of grunts still diminished from his subjects' escape, Sinister knew that it would take time and careful planning before he would be able to reclaim his prizes.

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AN: Dun dun dun! Things are really rolling here. I FINALLY, after about a year of stalling, know where I want to go with this, and Arc 3 should be updated in the near future. I still have some itty-bitty loose ends to clear up (_maybe_ a lemon, but I don't want the story to just be lemon-heavy), but we should be starting to get into the beginning of the end. It's all super exciting! Thanks to everyone who's reading, reviewing, favoriting and putting on alert. Y'all rock my socks!

bookdreamer17, kungfupandabear, and Carlypso: Thanks a bundle for reviewing! I'm always so happy when people enjoy my story! Extra special thanks to bookdreamer17 and kungfupandabear for reviewing within **one hour** of the chapter being posted! Extra gold stars for both of you! :)


	27. Dark Relapse

Weeks turned to months, and months to years. Time passed slowly and (relatively) peacefully at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. New students came in as older students left, although some remained to teach and occasionally serve on the increasingly famous X-Men. Logan and Selene had been particularly pleased when Rogue had decided to stay on, and were not surprised when Rogue moved into Gambit's room almost immediately after her graduation.

Selene still taught occasionally, but spent most of her time chasing after her boys. The triplets were just nearing their fifth birthday, and were quite the handful. They had inherited their father's roguish nature and, unfortunately, a bit of his temper. The three were decidedly clever for their age, and often worked in tandem to achieve their goals (most often cookies from the high shelf in the pantry). This cooperation, combined with their substantial appetites, had earned them the good-natured nickname, "The Wolf Pack". The boys loved the moniker, and would often play at hunting- including eerily believable wolf howls. The boys were practically miniature versions of Logan, and Selene absolutely adored her young 'cubs'. She had often thought about adding to their little pack, and she and Logan had tried a few years ago for another child, but were not successful. Hank had said that the experimentation could have made it unlikely for her to become pregnant outside of the "heat" periods that she was no longer experiencing.

Logan spent much of his time teaching. Once he had recovered his strength, he took on self-defense courses, as well as mechanics. Logan also headed up the tactical training of the official X-men team, the so called, "Minor League" for students who expressed interest in eventually joining the team, as well as specialized Feral training. The latter class was mostly directed towards his sons, but Logan also took on the handful of feral students who attended the school at any given time, teaching them control over their animalistic tendencies, and helping them hone their enhanced senses.

Though he was surprisingly happy in this domestic setting, Logan found himself outside of the mansion more often than not. His duties as an X-man sent him on missions around the globe, fighting Sentinels, the Friends of Humanity, and other threats to the general public. Closer to Logan's heart, though, were his personal missions. Logan, the Professor, Hank, and, surprisingly, Scott, had put all of their efforts into finding Logan and Selene's captors, and, more importantly, any clues that would lead to James' whereabouts. Whenever a new clue turned up, Logan and Scott would jet off to investigate.

Their first big breakthrough had also been the most painful. Not knowing where else to start, Logan and Scott had journeyed back to the facility where Logan and Selene had been kept for so long. The X-men had done a brief search on the night that they had raided the place, the same night Selene and Logan had escaped, but, because they were more focused on rescuing test subjects, their factual data collection had been somewhat ignored.

XXXXXXXXXXX

(_Flashback_)

Logan had grit his teeth when he and Scott entered the facility through the long-abandoned hangar. This was where he and Selene had been separated. She had been shoved into a truck, and he had broken loose and chased after her. The two delved further into the facility, passing many rooms he did not recognize. Logan did a double take as he passed one room.

'It still smells like her,' He thought to himself. This must have been where they kept her before she was given to him. She had told him once of that room, the terrible darkness, the cold, and the endlessly dripping pipe that had nearly driven her mad.

"Still drips," Logan muttered ironically, giving Cyclops no breath of explanation.

He could sense Scott's anxiety as they passed the cell Logan and Selene had shared. He should have been appalled, as Scott clearly was, at the conditions that he and Selene had been made to endure, but that wasn't what they came here for. They came to find his son.

Logan instinctively tensed as they opened the fiercely shrieking door to the lab. He was inches away from slicing the damnable thing off its hinges. He passed through the threshold, and a wave of memories hit him like a brick wall. The pain, the fear, the rage all came rushing back to him, coursing through his veins like an unquenchable flame until he could think of nothing else. Furious, he unsheathed his claws and lashed out at the nearest thing on hand. Stagnant water flooded the floor as Logan sliced the despicable water tank, the seed of many of his and Selene's nightmares, into five pieces.

"This is **not** where we need to be," He growled as he resheathed his claws and stormed out of the room. Scott, shocked into silence, was eager to follow.

The two passed through the maze of indistinguishable halls, searching for that one specific clue, until Logan nearly tripped right over it. He stopped suddenly, sniffing deeply at a plain door. The scent was so faint, he had barely caught it, but it was there, and it made Logan see red.

"Here," He grunted as he sliced his way into a plainly decorated office. Logan continued to inhale deeply as he entered the office before explaining, "This is it. This is the office of the main scientist. Take everything you can find back to the mansion."

As Scott began loading countless papers, files, and computer disks into a duffel bag, Logan paced the room, memorizing every tiny hint of the scent of this man, tucking it away until the day he could eviscerate him.

(_End flashback_)

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The data collected from the abandoned facility acted as a springboard for Logan's investigations. Soon it seemed that almost every other week he and Scott were taking off to follow up a new lead, usually returning drained and disappointed.

The most recent lead had taken Scott and Logan to the lonely reaches of the Northwest Territory in Canada. It, too, had been a dead end, and the two were just preparing to leave, when Logan felt a strange prickling in the back of his mind.

"Logan, you okay?" Scott asked, "You look a bit distracted."

Logan tried to shrug off the feeling, but as he turned to answer, the feeling intensified, heating his blood with an all-too-familiar sensation.

"Scott, listen to me very carefully," Logan panted, sweat already beginning to gather at his temples as he struggled to maintain control, "I need you to restrain me on the Blackbird, and get me back to the mansion as quick as possible."

"Logan, what do you mean-" Scott began.

"I've felt this before," Logan chocked out behind gritted teeth, "I'm going Feral. I need to get to Selene, and if you don't chain me up in the next few minutes, I'm going to loose control and slice up anything that gets in my way of getting to her- including you."

Switching from 'friend' to 'team leader', Scott replied with a curt, "Understood," before strapping him down and taking off, bringing the Blackbird to full speed as he tore off back to the mansion.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Back at the mansion, Michael, Daniel, and Liam were wrestling with "Uncle Remy" while "Aunt Marie" chatted with their mother. The girls were discussing plans for the boys' upcoming birthday, when Selene suddenly felt a bizarre pressure in the back of her mind. She tried to shake it off, but the feeling suddenly intensified, pulsing through her entire body until every nerve stood on end.

"No," she gasped in shock. This was supposed to be over! They took out the damn chips, it should be done with!

"What is it, Sugah?" Rogue asked, leaning in to help her friend.

"Rogue," Selene gasped, "I need you and Gambit to take care of the boys for a while. I'm not-" she took a deep breath to steady herself, "I'm not sure for how long, but can you do that for me?" She pleaded.

"Anything, Selene, but, what's wrong?"

"I think I'm having an… Episode." Selene tried to explain. Rogue, who had become Selene's closest confidant in the last few years, understood well what her friend had been through, and knew exactly what she meant. "I need you to help me back to my room, and make sure that nobody bothers us until Logan and I are… Decent."

Rogue nodded, cast one explicatory glance to Gambit (who miraculously understood her intentions, and kept the children occupied), before helping her closest friend to her room.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Xavier's mind was a blur of activity. Just moments before he had received a distress signal from Scott, he had felt Selene's aura explode with energy. Even now he could practically feel her pacing around her room with pent up sexual energy. He had never felt such an explosive need in any living creature before; to suffer through it without relief must be torture for the poor woman! Knowing what must be done, he sent Scott a set of mental instructions, glad that his former student was only minutes away from docking at the mansion.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Scott was a nervous wreck as he landed the blackbird. The entire way back, Logan had thrashed and screamed in animalistic fury. Scott was surprised, and endlessly grateful, that his restraints had not given in. As soon as the plane was on the ground, he slowly turned to his feral teammate.

"Logan, I don't know if you can hear me, but I need you to listen," he began.

The wild man before him snarled as a foreign male approached, ready to cut out the competition's entrails.

"Please, I can help you get to Selene."

At the mention of his mate's name, the Wolverine focused in on the challenging male.

"The Professor has cleared the halls for you, nobody will stand in your way as you go to her, I just need you to promise that you'll let me remove these restrains, and that you'll go straight to your room without causing any trouble."

The feral snarled once, further demonstrating his stature as Alpha Male, before quieting.

'_He's agreed, Scott. Let him go, before he forgets the bargain.'_ Xavier mentally instructed him as he observed the scene from afar.

Scott took a steadying breath, then reached out and released the Wolverine.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Wolverine didn't like the smell of this place. It was too sterile. He could barely sense his mate over the nauseating "lemon" scent that permeated the place. He followed both the scent of his mate and the faint memories of his other self through the twisting halls. He made his way up several stories before reaching the place he recognized as his den.

His mate was within, writhing in anticipation. The cubs were not present, which was good, so that they would no interrupt the mating (although he was confused and frustrated as to why he could only sense three of his cubs, and not the fourth).

Wolverine burst into the room, slamming the door shut behind him. He was very pleased. His mate was flat on the bed, clutching the bedsheets, tossing and turning as she tried to relieve the pressure of her desire. He crossed over to her in two short strides, removing his shirt in the process before tearing into hers. His mate panted with relief at his arrival, and offered her neck to him as he swept over her, eagerly claiming what was his.

He suckled fiercely at the joint of her neck and shoulder, eager to mark his woman again after so long. She tasted wonderful; already covered in a thin sheen of perspiration. Her scent was saturated with the musky scent of her desire. He moved his body over hers as he reached for her breast, her hips bucking against his own at the contact. As he moved his attentive tongue to capture her moans and gasps, his free hand moved down her back, pulling her tightly against him.

Her hands moved frantically as she unbuttoned his tightening jeans and pushed them around his ankles, freeing his throbbing shaft. As her lover simultaneously tweaked her nipple and bit into her swollen lip, she raked one hand against his bare back, drawing thin red lines along the length of it, while her other hand played through his thick mane.

Patience wearing thin, the Wolverine began to move his attentions elsewhere. She moaned at the loss as his lips left hers and his hand abandoned her breast, but cried in ecstasy as his lips roamed eagerly across her chest. His hot breath played across her bosom, before his teeth latched on to her sensitive breast. Her attention to her upper half was short lived, though, as she felt his roaming hands pass down over the curve of her hips, flirting momentarily with her intimate curls before delving deeper into her warmth.

Breath coming in short pants now, she barely registered as he slipped a long digit into her center. Bucking involuntarily, she moved with him, gasping when his knuckles occasionally glanced her bundle of nerves.

Hearing the whimpering cries of his mate, he knew she was ready for him. The scent of her readiness had called him to attention long ago, and he was firm and steady as he removed his hand from her folds and replaced it with his pulsing length.

She released one shuddering breath as he entered her, nearly reaching her precipice on the spot. A moment later, she joined him in a wild, frantic rhythm. He moved in her again and again, grunting with pleasure at his mate's tight, wet folds. Sensing her impending completion, he captured her lips with hers as she cried out in release. Her walls clamping furiously around him, he followed her over the edge, gasping and shuddering as he filled her.

Spent for the moment, he collapsed onto her, resting his head on her heaving chest as both reveled in the afterglow of their mating.

The following three days were filled with much the same. At the end of the third day, the Wolverine lay with his mate curled in his embrace. She slept soundly pressed against his chest, his arm splayed across her belly. Just as he prepared to nod off to sleep, he buried his face in her hair, and was much pleased by the scent that mingled with that of his sleeping mate. He faded into sleep, knowing that his other self would regain control upon awakening, but he didn't mind relinquishing control. He was very pleased with what he had accomplished.

The following morning, Selene and Logan awoke hungry, exhausted, and in desperate need of a shower. After a few moments of collecting their senses, the two realized what had occurred, and exchanged a panicked glance. Selene had to be pregnant; otherwise they wouldn't be themselves again. They were, of course, wonderfully happy that they would be expecting another child, but under that happiness were feelings of dread and uncertainty. With the chips long since removed, how could this have happened?

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AN: Bluh. Work, sleep, out of town, and writer's block are my basic excuses for not updating sooner. Major apologies all around for that. Also, holy COW, this was a long chapter. Still, I think y'all deserve it for how bad my updating has been. In brighter news, we just passed 40k words and 100 Favorites! Way to go, guys! WOOHOO! I'm excited to say that this chapter here is the OFFICIAL beginning of the 3rd story arc for Return From Darkness. The beginning of the end! But don't worry, we have a lot more story to cover (and a TON of bad guys to punish) before we wrap things up, so stay tuned! :)

Bridgette Potter, immiD, Carlypso, Fire Black Dragon, bookdreamer17, and NagainaFier: Thanks for your glowing reviews! They give me warm fuzzies all over! Y'all are my favorites! :)

Masanya: The "heat" only lets up when the Wolverine realizes that Selene is pregnant. If she were on birth control, she wouldn't become pregnant, and that would cause a lot of problems. (The really dark sense of humor in me says that they might just shag to death :P ).


	28. Midnight

Selene couldn't sleep. Under the blankets was too hot, over the blankets was too cold, and there was no one on the other side of the bed to keep her company. Not surprisingly, Logan was out again with Scott, chasing down one hint or another about James. Deciding she would never fall asleep, Selene huffed with frustration and slowly pulled herself out of bed- a job that was distinctly more difficult with the heavy swell of her belly weighing her down. She brought her hand briefly over the life growing within her, remembering the astonishing revelation about how it came into being.

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(Flashback)

"Okay, Doc, what the hell?" Logan asked as Selene slid onto the now-familiar examination table in the Med Bay. In the two weeks since their amorous encounter, Selene and Logan had spent much of their time here trying to figure out how the episode had occurred now that the chips had been removed.

Hank, whose gaunt features and tired voice clearly showed the many hours he had devoted to the strange situation, groaned as he admitted, "Honestly, I have no idea," Selene's shoulders slumped and Logan's brows knitted in confusion as the tired doctor continued, "but, I do have a theory. From what I have gathered since your first arrival here, it was not only the implantation of a chip that you endured during your internment, but your very physiology has been changed. Every cell, every molecule, everything having to do with what they wanted has changed forever, and it won't change back simply by removing a chip." Hank rubbed his hands over his tired face as he brought up the courage to continue, "Truth be told, I don't think I can ever totally reverse what they did to you."

"I don't understand," Selene stammered, dumbstruck, "I mean, what could they have done that would make this happen?"

"Let me see if I can explain," Hank began, "Imagine, if you will, a slot machine. Most couples will hit a match a few times in their lives, three cherries is a boy, three oranges is twin girls, what have you." The couple in font of him stared blankly, so he continued, "now, imagine that some rotten fellow tampers with one machine, making it so that it only comes up with three lemons, Class 5 feral males, by the looks of it, and even that only comes up once every year or so. Now, we've removed the timer, but the slot machine will still only ever produce three lemons. That's why, when you tried to have a child before, nothing happened, but, suddenly, the slot machine comes up with three lemons, you both go into heat, and, if my guess is right, we have another Class 5 feral on the way."

At that point, a faint beeping noise sounded from across the Lab. Hank, realizing that the couple needed a moment alone, went off to check the machine's results.

"It's just going to keep happening, going off randomly and setting us off like animals." Logan rumbled, eyes wide in astonishment and frustration. Suddenly, he felt Selene's small hand weave into his.

"It'll be okay, babe. I like lemons." She smiled softly.

Logan stared at his lover blankly for a moment before smiling and admitting, "Me too, Darlin'."

(End Flashback)

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After that, the revelation that Selene was carrying twin boys came as no real surprise. Although it did come as a bit of a burden to the lower back, Selene mused as she checked on her Wolf Pack (all sleeping soundly) before she headed for the kitchen. From her substantial appetite, and the twins' already substantial size, even though she was only about six months along, Selene often joked that she was carrying around a couple of bears instead of boys.

Selene rounded the corner and was surprised to hear a television flickering in the nearly silent halls of the mansion. It was nearly midnight, and Artie was awake again.

"Can't sleep, kiddo?" She asked as she leaned on the doorframe of the rec room.

"Nope." Artie mumbled.

"Come on," Selene motioned to him," you can keep me company over a peanut butter sandwich. My treat." Selene joked.

Artie blinked, switching off the TV, and smiled as he followed her into the kitchen.

Selene was somewhat more surprised to see that the light was already on as she reached the breakfast room, Bobby Drake was sitting there, nursing a Dr. Pepper.

"The caffeine is only going to keep you up, you know." Selene smiled at the student, "And besides, your bones are still growing. You should be drinking milk, Mister."

"Yes, M'am," Bobby smiled. He liked Selene. She was always a calming influence on the sometimes-hectic mansion. She was a good listener, and, he had to admit, even though she wasn't even ten years older than he, he saw her as a mother figure. Frankly, most of the students did, and she was more than happy to fill the role- especially since a majority of the students were alienated from their families because of their mutations.

Selene was just reaching up to bring the peanut butter out of the pantry when she heard a door squeak on its hinge in the hallway. She wanted to brush it off as another insomniac student coming to join their late night picnic, but something felt off.

"Bobby," she warned, the tension clear in her voice, "stay here with Artie. I'm going to go check on something."

Selene slowly padded down the hall, not even noticing that she was headed back towards her room, when everything seemed to hit at once.

Windows were shattering on the upper levels, doors were blasted in on the ground floor, and everywhere the stomping feet of soldiers seemed to echo through the halls. Siren's wail screeched through the mansion, and the mansion almost started to shake as one mutant power after another came alive to defend the school.

Through the commotion, Selene could register only one thought. 'I need to get to my boys." As fast as her pregnant belly would allow, she threw herself up a side staircase towards her apartment, her heart nearly stopped beating when she arrived there.

"No. Oh, God, noooo!" Selene wailed at the top of her lungs at the sight of the three empty beds. Her sons were gone. Selene fell to her knees as her perception shut down at the thought. She would never have noticed the guard that snuck up behind her, had not a six foot seven inch tall steel-encased force blasted through a nearby wall, destroying everything (including the soldier) in its path.

"Selene," Colossus said, rushing to his fallen friend, "we need to get out of here, the mansion is under attack."

"They took my sons, Pete," Selene whimpered, not moving.

Glancing at the empty room, Colossus felt a surge of sorrow, but snapped himself back as he reached down and picked Selene up in his arms, "No time to argue. We need to leave." With Selene safely secured in his grasp, Colossus made off to the lower levels, both to find an escape route, and to help ensure the other children could escape safely.

The lower levels were in complete chaos. Fire and ice flew around the hallways, sparks rebounded off attacking soldiers, and sleep-inducing darts took aim, rapidly diminishing the mutant ranks as more and more fell into unconsciousness. In a momentary lull, Colossus heard a shout, "Selene!" Rogue came into view, cut and bruised, as she reached for her closest friend.

"She's alright, she's just in shock," Colossus explained, "The boys are gone."

"Selene's boys?" Rogue asked, barely able to register the situation.

Colossus nodded, "These guys must have taken them. You stay with her, I have to go out and make sure the rest of the kids get out."

Rogue nodded as her metal-encased friend bounded away towards the sounds of fighting.

"We're gonna get them back, Sugah, don't you worry 'bout a thing." Rogue murmured to her broken friend.

Suddenly, flashing playing cards started exploding all around them as Gambit raced onto the scene.

"They comin' this way, Mon Petites, we gotta keep movin', non?" Gambit yelled as he released more exploding cards to buy time for the trio.

"Sugah, you gotta get up! I can't carry you away. You don't want them getting their hands on these boys, too, do ya?" Rogue yelled, trying to drag Selene to her feet.

At the new threat to her unborn children, fire awoke in Selene. Her protective instincts took hold, and she raced to her feet, away from the attacking threat.

Even with Gambit holding them off, the soldiers were gaining on them. Without a moment to lose, they reached a secret passage. Pressing on the wall, Gambit opened the way. He and Rogue stepped through to the hidden passage, with Selene a step behind, when the door suddenly malfunctioned, trapping Selene on the wrong side.

Hitting and even attempting to explode the door did no good. The reinforced passage would not budge, leaving Selene stranded, defeated, as the flashlights of a dozen soldiers centered on her.

Selene squinted her eyes, turning to protect her belly from as much damage as she could, when the cry, "Wait!" sounded from the back line of ranks.

Eyes adjusting slowly in the dim light, Selene tried to see the figure that walked toward her in the darkness. As he came into view, she wished she hadn't.

The man that came before her was one of the most hideous sights she'd ever seen. Dressed in a dark blue suit, his hair was black enough to almost reflect blue in the dim light. His face, though, was terrifying. It wasn't that his skin was an unearthly white, the color usually reserved for corpses that have washed up after several days at sea, nor was it the fact that every one of his teeth was viciously pointed like a shark's. It was his eyes, ruby red at the iris, and glowing with a fire that chilled Selene to her bones. This man, if he was a man, and not a demon, knew no remorse. She knew, somehow, that he was there to cause her pain, and that he would relish every moment of it.

"Selene, is that really you?" A cold, smooth voice asked, "You haven't aged a day. Although, I must say, I'm happy to see you in a family way. You're positively glowing." He smiled cruelly.

"You don't remember me, do you?" He asked as she continued to stare in terror, "My name is Nathaniel Essex, though some like to call me Sinister. But, of course you wouldn't know that. No, you might recognize me more like this," Suddenly, his features shifted. His eyes, teeth, and skin morphed into a normal human face. "Of course, you would not have seen me, per say, but I dare say you should recognize my voice." He grinned.

Selene froze. She knew that voice. She had tried to forget it, but it haunted her still. He was the doctor from the facility. Her lips trembled and tears formed in her eyes as she knew her worst fear had come to pass. They had found them. These men had taken her children, like they had taken James. They were going to take the children that now slept beneath her heart. Worst of all, there was nothing she could do to stop them.

Selene did not notice the hand signal that Sinister gave, she barely even noticed as a trio of darts buried themselves in her neck. She only fell to the floor, blackness consuming her, apologizing to Logan for failing him and their family, and wondering if she would ever see them again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

AN: Goodness, I've been gone a while. Sorry. New job, new apartment, school, theater, writer's block, the list goes on. With holidays and finals coming up, I'm going to try to write, but I might not get to it. Also, I'll be abroad all of January, so don't expect any updates then. Anyway, here we are, kicking off Arc 3. We'll follow a lot of X2's outline, adjusted to fit my story (we're going to have fun with this!) Hope y'all enjoyed the update, and thanks to everyone for the reviews, favs, etc. Happy Thanksgiving! :)

Masanya, UchihaAkia, Carlypso, NagainaFier, Bridgette Potter, Fire Black Dragon, x XRoweenaJAugustineX x, and stand out – SHOUT OUT: Thank you all for your wonderful reviews and kind support. Reviewers like you are so much more than I deserve with my abysmal update schedule. Thanks again!


	29. Ignition

"Red sky in the morning, sailor takes warning," Logan muttered to himself as he packed up his motorcycle in the early dawn light.

"What was that, Logan?" Scott asked as he came up beside the feral mutant, stuffing the last of his luggage into the saddlebag of his own bike.

"Nothin'," Logan said, "Something's not sitting right, you know?"

"Well, we should be back at the mansion in an hour or two, and you can tell Selene about Alkali Lake." Scott said as the engines of both bikes roared to life.

'Alkali Lake,' Logan thought as the pair tore down the road toward the mansion. That had been the most promising lead they'd had in years. Between the notes they'd collected on their first retrieval mission, and the new information they'd just received the day before from a blue, pointy-tailed mutant who said he'd come into some trouble with a disreputable bunch near the Canadian dam, both Scott and Logan were willing to bet that the one in charge of all this was at Alkali Lake, or had just left it days previous and would leave a fresh trail. They were so close now, Logan could almost taste it.

A few hours later, they rounded the last bend to the mansion, and Logan's hair was standing on end. Something was wrong. The fence surrounding the complex was broken and warped, half of the windows and doors were blasted in, and smoke still rose from the fires lit by intruder and mutant alike. The mansion had been attacked in the night.

Logan didn't even kill the engine as he leapt off his bike and into the mansion. Everything was a mess. Walls and furniture were splintered, blasted, burned, and frozen. Logan barely registered that he'd unsheathed his claws as he raced up to his apartment. The rooms were empty. His family was gone. His whole body clenched in anger and despair as he thrashed about; his vision was tinted red and he could feel the Wolverine swelling within him, boiling up in revenge for their lost mate. Barely keeping control, Logan nearly sliced the door off its hinges, and Hank McCoy's nose off his face as he stood in the doorway.

"What. Happened?" Logan bit out.

"Soldiers came in the night and attacked the school," The Beast explained, "only Selene and the boys were taken. The rest of the children are with Professor Xavier at a safe location now that he's returned from the United Nations hearings. He's trying to track down your family, as are all the assembled X-Men here, but so far has had no luck."

Nearly overcome, Logan shut down his emotional center, putting on the field commander persona that had served him so well the past twenty-five years.

"Get everyone to the War Room. We'll recon in ten minutes." He growled.

Henry nodded and moved to assemble the team. Logan paced the halls, trying to release the tension that built in every cell of his body. It took him a while to realize that his pacings traced his wife's scent. Following her through the kitchen and over to the hall with the secret passage. It was strongest here. This is where she'd been last. Logan stood there for a moment, trying to breathe in the essence of her, when something vile tainted the air.

"I know that scent," Logan growled aloud, taking a few halting steps down the hall as he inhaled again, "Him." He snarled, his teeth set on edge.

Meanwhile, downstairs, the X-Men were planning in the War Room, most nursing minor wounds, going over the previous night's intrusion in hopes that it would help them better understand their enemy.

"I have to admit, it's hard to imagine you fighting, Hank." Scott said to the furry mutant.

"I would have thought so, too," Colossus said solemnly, "but that was before I saw him leap off the balcony of the grand staircase, screaming like a madman as he took out a host of intruders."

"Alkali Lake," Logan boomed as he burst in.

"Logan," Scott said quietly, "I know that's a hot lead for James, but right now our priority sho-"

"Selene is at Alkali Lake. I caught a scent in the hallway. It's the same scent from the facility where they experimented on us. The fuckers who have Selene and the boys are the same ones who have James, and the ones who have James are at Alkali Lake."

Tired and confused, the team looked to Scott, their captain, for answers.

"Well," Scott admitted, "it's the best chance we've got. Everybody suit up and meet at the Blackbird in five."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After the longest Jet ride of their lives, Scott landed the Blackbird on the edge of the vast Alkali Lake. Logan was the first out of the jet, shading his eyes as he surveyed the scenery. "There," he said, pointing to a drainage pipe near the base of the dam, "That's our way in."

"Alright," Cyclops said, taking charge, "Gambit, Colossus, you go in point, Rogue, Wolverine and I will take the flanks, Storm and Beast bring up the rear. We get in there, locate the hostages, and get out."

The tunnel itself was a little claustrophobic, each team member imagining that it would flood with enemy soldiers at any moment, but surprise was on their side, and they reached the exterior door without incident.

"Gambit." Cyclops said, indicating the door.

"Oui, mon frère," Gambit replied. A few kinetically-charged playing cards later, the door was open, a few choke holds and well placed punches after that, the guards were disabled, and the team was able to make its way into the stronghold.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Alert. Heavy mutant presence detected. Location: Alkali Lake, Canada." A robotic voice reported.

"Just ignore it, it's probably just another glitch." A technician griped over his coffee.

"Update: Five Class 5 mutant signatures detected, with supplementary lower class mutant signatures." The robotic voice continued.

"Whoa, five Class 5's in the same place? Better take a look, boss." Another technician said.

"Fine, send a Sentinel in to survey the area. If it finds trouble, authorize it to use deadly force." The chief technician declared.

"Deploying Sentinel now. ETA, seven minutes."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The team made their way efficiently through the dam's interior. Almost as soon as they entered the complex, Logan picked up a trace of Selene's scent, he was barely able to growl out, "I'm going after Selene," before he vanished down the winding labyrinth of hallways.

Not missing a beat, Cyclops went into action, "Right, Beast, Rogue, you two see if you can find the boys. Get them out of here and back to the Blackbird as fast as you can. They are your priority."

"And what, pray tell, will occupy the rest of you?" Beast asked as he tried to discern the best way to reach the boys.

"That, I imagine." Storm said as she pointed to a security screen at a nearby terminal that displayed the exterior of the dam. A Sentinel had just landed on the helipad, and it was already breaking its way in.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

AN: Short but to the point. The next chapter is already written, and they're going to be a blast. Glad everyone's enjoying the story! Thanks for reading!

immiD, x XRoweenaJAugustineX x, Carlypso, angelvoice15, and NagainaFier: Thanks so much for your reviews! I bask in your feedback. It is the force that keeps my fingers typing. Much love to my loyal reviewers.

Lamminator: I actually laughed out loud when I read your comment. Thanks for the review and making me giggle. :)


	30. Vengeance

The dam was about ready to burst. Turbines lay crushed and smoking, cracks raced up through the foundation, and all throughout the interior, water was rushing in. Still, the battle between the X-Men and the Sentinel raged on. Storm flew about the Sentinel as best she could in the tight spaces of the concrete construct. Even as she tried to distract the machine, calling lightning to strike it when she could, Gambit wove and danced around its base, releasing kinetically charged cards at every opportunity. Cyclops fell farther back, nearly reaching his limit as he blasted the enemy from afar. Colossus was pounding steadily away at the Sentinel's leg; his steel-encased form barely denting the creature's exterior.

The Sentinel, meanwhile, fired endlessly from its impressive arsenal. Missiles, bullets, and lasers flew wildly. It noticed the pest that was attacking its ankle, and decided to rectify the problem. Suddenly, Colossus' arms were pinned to his sides; he lay helplessly caught in the Sentinel's relentless grip. Even as the team tripled its efforts against the machine and the Russian mutant struggled to break free, the Sentinel's grip tightened, slowly crushing Colossus in its giant fist. Just as Colossus' metal frame was about to give out, the Sentinel threw the Russian mutant through the wall. He flew through several walls, in fact, choking on the clearing dust when he finally landed. He turned his head as he heard a sudden cry.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Far from the battle against the machine, Rogue and Beast scoured the halls for any sign of the lost boys.

"Although I hate to admit it," Beast began as they raced away from another dead end, "I am beginning to fear the worst. Who knows if they even are within these walls? Or if they're even al-…" He stopped himself from saying it. He knew full well that the boys' death could be a possibility, but could not bring himself to vocalize it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Farther still from the Sentinel, Sinister cursed aloud as another loud crash echoed through the complex, springing a new leak not three feet away from him.

"Damn it all," he cried aloud, "Xavier's lackeys have been far more troublesome than I had anticipated. I think evacuation is in order, my pet." He turned his attention to the figure standing in the corner of the room. "No time for the rest. As much as I loathe the prospect, I shall have to start from scratch with you."

He collected the most essential of his work, including his favorite test subject, and made for his escape. He was rounding the last bend, when six adamantium claws blocked his path.

"Where is she?" Logan raged, only the knowledge that he could not rescue Selene in time kept his claws from slicing through Sinister's rotten flesh.

"Logan!" Sinister backpedaled, knowing he was no match for the feral before him, "is that any way to greet an acquaintance like me? We've been through so much together."

"I don't really compare slicing my guts open to playing a game of pool." Logan snarled.

"Oh, now, look at yourself. You wouldn't be anywhere near this magnificent if it weren't for me. I gave you a mate, children, even that flashy cutlery you're waving around." Sinister grinned wickedly.

Caught between rage and confusion, Logan blinked furiously as Sinister continued, "Yes, Logan, I've been a part of your life for longer than you could ever realize. From the implantation of the adamantium, even farther back. You remember Nam, don't you?"

"Hell with you, I've never been to Vietnam." Logan snarled.

"And Japan before that? Mariko would be so hurt if you didn't remember Japan, or Normandy, at the very least."

"You psychotic fuck, you think I'd believe that either of us was in World War Two?"

"Oh, there are so many things, Logan, so many people and places. If you knew what I knew about our lives, you wouldn't have to believe. Of course, our respective powers aided tremendously with that. Your ability to heal and my ability to morph my shape kept us young enough to be in on the action. I've been studying you for almost two hundred years. It's taken me that long to perfect my genetic research. From the Canadian Wilderness to Weapon X, I've watched you prove time and again how the potential for power lies locked away in the border between man and beast."

The spell had been cast over Logan, the answers to so many questions right at his fingertips, the explanation he had always longed to hear, but, he realized, he just didn't care. Bringing his claws to bear again, Logan snarled, "You can take your history and your potential and shove it up your ass, I'm taking my mate and my cubs, and that's all there is to it."

"Oh, now, isn't that a shame for the both of us?" Sinister hissed, "the loss of Selene and the boys will set me back quite a bit in my research, and I shall have to start from scratch."

"You're lying!" Logan barked.

"I'm afraid not, old boy. If you hadn't noticed, the dam is collapsing," he motioned to the cracking and shuddering walls around them; already there was six inches of water pooling around their feet, "I had the worst luck of placing them in the holding cells. They were the first ones to be flooded. Luckily, I have your protégé-"

The last words were drowned out as adamantium claws came flying forward. Sinister dodged as well as he could, but one look in the feral's eyes told him he had gone too far. Logan was long gone, and not even The Wolverine remained. Here was only Fury and Rage. The Creature lunged again, snarling with an otherworldly passion. For the first time in almost two hundred years, Nathanial Essex was truly afraid. Time seemed to slow as he saw a set of claws descend on him in an arc. '_All this time I've searched for this, the true power of a Class 5 Feral,_' His thoughts were cut short as adamantium fire raced through his flesh. Claws cut through muscle and bone, arcing through Sinister's shoulder, heading straight for his heart,

'_I was so close…_' Sinister's dying thoughts found no voice as The Creature's claws cut through his windpipe.

Blood gushed, staining the rising water a murky red, and still The Creature slashed. The rage of the last twenty years bearing down, fully focused on mutilating this corpse. Again and again it slashed, hacking through the rest of the shoulder, fists flying with rage-driven speed as claws ripped through spine, lung, and entrails, until they finally flew through the hip. Nathaniel Essex's corpse was severed completely in two, diagonally from shoulder to hip.

The creature would have continued inflicting its revenge, had not a new threat emerged from the far side of the room. Squaring off against this new enemy, The Creature and its adversary could not know how similar their thoughts were.

'_Destroy the threat_.'

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

AN: It's shorter than I thought it'd be, but here it is. The next chapter is half-written, but I'm having trouble with one part. Also, finals are coming up, and I'm running around tying up loose ends for the semester, so I don't know when the next chapter will be up. Thanks to everyone who's read, favorited, put on alert, etc.!

Angelvoice15, Koharu Veddette, Lamminator, PuddingCup30, and clairechan 888: Thanks for your splendid reviews. Cookies for everyone!


	31. Blood Lust

"Concentrate all firepower on the head!" Cyclops cried above the din of the rapidly failing dam. In a moment of blazing glory, Storm summoned all the power of the elements, Gambit released a flurry of cards, and Cyclops removed his visor. The combined efforts of the team left a charred, sparking stump where the Sentinel's head had once been. The behemoth collapsed to the ground with a resounding crash, and the team knew that the dam would be soon to follow.

"Colossus, get out of there!" Cyclops shouted across the wreckage.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Colossus tried to open his eyes, blinking furiously and choking on the rising dust. He whipped his head around when he suddenly heard, "Pete?"

Not three feet away from him, barely clear of the wreckage that was the cell wall, sat Selene. Blood was trickling down her arm from where parts of the wall had struck her, but she was fine.

"You are alive!" Colossus shouted, overjoyed to find his friend safe.

"Colossus, get out of there!" Cyclops' command came from through the ruined walls.

"Not for long, if we don't get out of here," Selene replied, rising to her feet.

"Right you are," Colossus responded, loading her gently into his arms so he could run across the rubble back to the main body of the team. "You know, this is the second time since yesterday that I've broken through a wall to save you."

"I'll thank you once we're out of here."

Back in the main room, the team's joy at Selene's arrival was short-lived as Cyclops rushed them to escape, "The dam's not going to make it, we need to get out of here."

"What about my sons," Selene asked frantically, "and where's Logan?"

"The boys are safe on the Blackbird with Rogue and Beast," Cyclops lied through his teeth, communications had been down since the fight with the Sentinel had started, and he had no idea if the team had gotten the boys out safely, "and Logan will find his way."

"What do you mean 'he'll find his way'? Where is he?"

"He went after you, but the passage he took collapsed in the fight, and this one will too if we don't escape!" Cyclops finished, motioning to Colossus with a quick nod.

An ominous rumble brought the team back to attention and they had no choice but to make their escape. Ignoring Selene's protests, even though their hearts were breaking along with hers, the battered X-Men raced for the exit. The dam was collapsing, with Logan in it, and there was nothing they could do but get back to the jet and hope.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"We are running out of hallways, and we are running out of time!" Beast yelled as he and Rogue passed yet another collapsed passage. The flooding was getting worse here, and they both knew that even if they did find the children around the next bend, the chances of escaping alive would be slim.

"Shut up!" Rogue shouted, "I think I hear somethin',"

True enough, the faintest of cries could be heard through the pile of rubble beside them. Three small voices cried out for help in the wreckage.

"Michael, Daniel, Liam? Can you hear me?" Rogue shouted through the collapsed passage.

"Aunt Marie! Aunt Marie, is that you? Help us!" The trio clamored from the other side.

In a flash, Rogue wrapped her gloves around the larges of the rocks and threw it aside with ease.

Astonished by her strength, Beast stared in wonder before Rogue snapped, "It's on long-term loan, and now is not the time, so help me with these rocks!"

Between the two of them they were able to make a patch of space just large enough for the boys to climb through.

Beast took Daniel and Liam up in his arms, Michael was the last one out, and found a place on Rogue's back. The two X-Men carried the boys safely, if somewhat frantically, out of the twists and turns of the dam's interior. They were nearly to the Blackbird when an ominous rumbling sounded from the dam complex. The whole thing was near to collapsing, and none of the other teammates had yet emerged. When they reached the jet, Rogue quickly began strapping the boys into their seats as Beast fired up the engine. It was going to be a close escape, and they needed to be ready if they were going to make it out alive.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The fury-driven Creature that had once been Logan stood almost knee-deep in the rising water, slowly circling the enemy before him. His mate was gone, his cubs were slaughtered, and his claws thirsted for blood. He snarled as he feigned an attack, testing the strength and reflexes of his opponent. Had he been of sound mind, he might have wondered at the figure before him- it was too small to be a proper enemy, who would send a child to fight in a place like this? As it was, the Creature only knew that a young Male Cub-thing was between him and the corpse of his mate. He snarled again, this time attacking in earnest. Adamantium claws still wet with Sinister's blood lashed out at the Cub's unprotected shoulder. The Cub was quick, just dodging away and replying with a snarl and slash of his own.

The two broke apart in an instant, circling again, looking for that one weakness that could bring the kill. While the Creature was beyond coherent thought and looked only for the kill, the Cub was cold, calculating. This was everything he had been trained for- eliminate the threat. The Cub made a bold move, diving low under the Creature's attacking blow and aiming between the ribs. He was caught unawares as the Creature's other arm swept down, intercepting the attack and hurling the Cub around, pinning him to the cold wall as he brought his claws to bear. The Cub knew that he was to die, but he felt no fear. He set his jaw and did not blink, his green eyes still hard and cold with rage as three adamantium claws flashed forward.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

AN: Short and much delayed- I know. I've been out of the country with no computer for the last month. Sorry :(. On the plus side, as I've mentioned before, we're nearing the end. Most of the hardest stuff to write should be out of the way, so we'll see how it goes. I really do want to thank everyone who's stuck with this story. My dearest readers, reviewers, people who favorite/put on alert/ etc., I don't know what I'd do without you!

Jinx of the 2nd Law, x XRoweenaJAugustineX x, Carlypso, GaarasMyBoyzz, Archermusician, LothirielSaerwen, Chandraleila, Jaygall11, and beautifulmess2005: Like I said, I don't know what I'd do without your constant support. I'm so flaky, I probably would've dropped this story a long time ago, but y'all have stuck with me. Your encouragement means so much, I don't know what I'd do without you. Best wishes for a happy (belated) new year to you all!

-Roguejedi89


	32. Heart of Darkness

Lost in the madness of blood lust and rage, the Creature that was Logan pinned his opponent against the wall. Snarling with an inhuman fury, his claws dove in for the kill- and stopped three inches short.

That scent. Through layers of rage, grief, and even madness, that scent broke through to the core of the Creature. The faintest scent of summer rain, mixed with his own musk, forming a new scent entirely- one whose trace he had followed for the last seven years.

"James," Logan's voice broke as his psyche came crashing back to the forefront of his mind, "my boy, oh my son!" Tears welled in the feral's eyes as he pulled the child into a fierce embrace.

At such close proximity, the Cub sensed it too, a familiar scent that any creature would know. Not used to speaking often, his words formed slowly but clearly, "You… are my Sire."

"That's right," Logan gasped as he put James to an arm's length, brushing the hair out of the boy's eyes as he took in every inch of him, "I'm your father. I've come to take you home."

Before James could respond, a pipe ruptured right behind him and began filling the already treacherous room at a dangerous pace. Springing back to attention, Logan went to work, determining the best route of escape. The concrete halls were dark, many of them had already filled with falling debris as the dam continued to fail. Though his conscious self could not know it, the buried memories of long ago flared to life. He had escaped through these halls once before, when his adamantium skeleton was still cooling on his bones. He thought it instinct, and not memory, but Logan picked a path and led his son through.

As they reached the door, the support beams all around them began to groan and warp- the passage was collapsing! With a final burst of speed, Logan burst through the same steel door that he had twenty years earlier, his son by his side.

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Back at the Blackbird, the triplets waited impatiently as Beast and Rogue tried to assure them that their parents would return soon. Just as the X-Men began to loose hope, the radio flared to life, "Cyclops to Blackbird, do you copy?"

In his excitement, Beast nearly dropped the headset in his attempt to reply, "Blackbird to Cyclops, Beast here. Rogue and the Triplets are here, present and accounted for."

"Good, our full team is accounted for, including Selene, we will be with you shortly. Any sign of Wolverine?" Beast heard Cyclops respond as the first of the group came into the Blackbird's clearing.

"He hasn't rejoined you?"

"Negative," Cyclops said as he made his way up the ramp of the jet, "prep for flight. The dam is ready to collapse any minute, we need to get out of here."

Gambit and Storm were fast on his heels, with Colossus supporting Selene bringing up the rear. Tears immediately sprang to her eyes as Selene rushed to her children, sobbing with joy when she found them unharmed.

"What about Logan? He hasn't made it back yet," Selene heard Rogue protest as Cyclops began closing the ramp and preparing for takeoff.

"I'm sorry," Cyclops choked, "I really am, but that dam is about to burst, most of the interior has already been compromised. I'm sorry to say it, but he's probably already trapped inside- there's nothing we can do, and if we wait any longer we're all going to drown when this valley floods. The mission was to rescue Selene and the boys, and I'll be damned if I'm not going to get them home safely." He steeled himself with this final resolve. Plenty of time to grieve his friend later, right now he had people's lives at stake. Cyclops would stick to the mission, even though his heart broke as Selene's agonized wails began anew and echoed through the cockpit.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Free of the collapse, Logan turned back and began searching for another way in. 'Logan,' a small, sad voice echoed through his head, 'Selene and the boys are already gone.'

"No!" he growled aloud, "I'm NOT leaving her!"

'Cherish was you have found here today. Let them go.'

Logan turned from the wreckage of the passageway to see James standing expectantly. No matter how much he had lost, he had found his son, and he wouldn't lose him again.

"Come on, we need to get to that clearing. We're going home." Logan explained, his heart breaking as he left his love buried in the rubble behind him.

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"Thirty seconds to takeoff," Cyclops counted down as he flipped switches and dials. Rogue barely heard him as she stared sadly towards the dam where her friend was surely buried… Or heading straight at them.

"Scott, stop!" She screamed, "It's Logan!"

Shock rippled throughout the jet as everyone clamored to see. "Who's that with him?" Storm asked.

"It can't be," Scott gasped.

"Is it possible?" Beast asked in awe.

"James?" Selene barely dared to breathe.

A moment and an eternity later, Logan and James leapt onto the reopened ramp, each gasping for breath as he fell to the ground. Hearing the thunderous crash of rushing water, Cyclops turned his attention back to the jet, taking off mere moments before the torrential flood poured through the clearing, wiping out the dam and most of the valley below in its wake. The facility at Alkali Lake was destroyed.

Though the destruction of the valley was dreadfully powerful, the scene inside the jet was no less dramatic. Logan and Selene each stared at the other, not daring to blink for fear that the other would vanish. In an instant the tension broke, and they were at each other's lips, kissing ferociously and bruising their lips in their passion. Satisfied for the moment in their mate's presence, and knowing that their brood was more in need, the pair separated, Logan moving to his three kidnapped children, embracing each in turn and reassuring them of their love and safety.

This left Selene with James, who had, up to this point, been kneeling in one corner of the jet, his eyes darting around warily and his nose flaring as he took in his surroundings.

"James," Selene gasped, barely biting back a sob, "My son!" She reached toward him, wanting nothing more than to wrap him in her arms and keep him there forever.

The Cub regarded the woman curiously. He could sense no danger in her, but even more than that, something in her seemed… inherently good. He tentatively reached out to her, and was surprised when she pulled him into a tight embrace. Nearly oblivious anything else, and downright ignoring James' size and the curve of her pregnancy, she pulled her eldest son into her lap, meeting almost no resistance, and rested his head across her chest.

'This woman smells… right,' the Cub thought as he inhaled her scent, 'she is the one who birthed me. I suppose one could call her 'Mother'. Her scent is not unpleasant,' he decided as he inhaled again. He pressed himself further into her embrace, not entirely sure what to do with this type of physical contact, but deciding that the woman's warmth was most suitable. 'She bears young,' he thought clinically as he observed her swollen belly and the twin heartbeats emanating from within, 'my Sire would not share his mate with another. They must be my kin, as is the other litter of young.' He thought as he regarded the trio who now huddled near his Sire. He studied the others on the plane, determining by their manner and shared scents that they all must form a loose pack. 'Pack,' he lingered on the word. Though Sinister had tried to ingrain certain ways in him, his instincts told him that pack was good, that he had been wrong and lonely without one. 'Here is a strong pack, and it is good to be with kin. I will prove myself to my Sire, as Alpha he must know I am strong and will protect the pack.'

Content with his plan of action, the Cub, or "James," as he supposed he must now be called, worked deeper into his mother's warm embrace, reveling in the sound of her heartbeat. He knew that the warmth and comfort were not all that propelled him to do so… He could not understand why, but being in her arms just felt right. Safe with his pack and his mother, James was pleased.

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AN: This chapter felt SO GOOD to write! YAY! James is back, everyone's safe and together and all is well! Unfortunately, it does mean that our time together is drawing to a close. At the moment I anticipate an epilogue of some sorts, maybe one chapter before that, but that'll be about it. It's been a crazy time, writing this from beginning to end, and I've had a blast. I hope y'all have, too! :)

Carlypso, ottoslittlefangirl13, kris89, and x XRoweenaJAugustineX x: As ever, I must give my most humble thanks to my reviewers.

GaarasMyBoyzz: I agree, total tease, but it was worth it, no? :)


	33. Epilogue Return from Darkness

Little was said during that long flight back to the mansion. The X-Men were tired from their ordeal, and Logan and his pack were beyond words. The parents and their four children sat very still, all seemingly lost in thought; Logan with his arms around the three boys, and Selene with James still nestled in her lap.

The triplets were thrilled to be home at the mansion, but James was wary at best. As he walked from the jet through the halls of the subbasement, he kept a wary eye on every closed door and shaded corner. He was uneasy, but he did his best to show it. He walked at an even stride next to his mother, head held high. He knew that he could not show weakness in front of his sire for fear of proving a disappointment. James knew that his new pack could not be like Sinister (he bit back a growl at the thought of the name), but he could not know that his worth was not based on how he impressed his pack. To James, failing his Alpha meant loosing his place in the pack. He could not afford that outcome.

James was relieved when they left the cold halls of the subbasement (halls that reminded him too much of the different bases and hideouts where he had spent his childhood) and entered the comfort of the main mansion. He bristled visibly whenever a stranger came too close, and was wary and tense by the time the family reached their suite of rooms.

James inhaled deeply, recognizing the scent of his pack as it permeated this place, 'this must be our den,' he thought. He was pleased with the layout; the rooms were more comfortable than his usual accommodations, offered close proximity to his mother and sire, and would be easy to defend should enemies come after the young. He would guard his siblings well in this place, and greatly please his sire.

Logan, who had kept an eye on James throughout their return, recognized the turmoil behind his eldest son's stoic expression. He brushed Selene's arm and gave her a look. Reluctant to leave James, Selene resisted for a moment, but knew that her mate needed to speak with his son. She took the triplets, who were only too eager to stay attached to their mother, into the master bedroom and closed the door, leaving James and Logan in the children's room.

"James," Logan started, not knowing entirely what to say, "sit with me for a moment".

James stared for a moment before joining his father on Michael's bed.

Logan sighed, trying to best figure out how to explain. He knew what his son was going through, he had experienced it on more than one occasion. When the world makes no sense, trust your instincts. After he had woken up with no memories and a new set of claws, Logan had no idea who or what he was. He had no idea how the world worked, so he acted on instinct. He had staked out a territory, defended it against intruders, and constructed a den for himself. Even when he first encountered humans and started regaining his humanity, he had been compelled to find his place in the pack, to either serve his alpha, or take the position for his own.

With only the cold, functional upbringing that Sinister had provided, Logan was not surprised that James operated on a feral pack mind, but how could he explain? How could he convince James that he was home, safe, and loved beyond his abilities as a pack member?

"We are a pack," he began slowly, "you wish to protect our mother, your brothers, and those cubs yet to come, and so do I. That is a good thing."

James straightened, pleased that he had already satisfied his Sire so.

"But," Logan continued, "we are more than just pack here, we are family. I am not your sire; I'm not your alpha. I am your father, and you don't need to impress or serve me. I love you because you are my son, and so does your mother. You do not have to earn our trust or protect us, just accept our love and let us protect you."

James understood what his Sire- father had said, but found it difficult to believe. As Logan pulled his son into an embrace, he hoped that he would understand his place, that he would adjust and start to undo some of the evil that Sinister had done to him, but Logan understood that his son needed time and love for that to happen, both of which the family had in abundance.

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Over the next few weeks, life went back to normal at the mansion. The triplets were reserved at first, but with help from Xavier, they were soon back to their raucous selves. Selene and Logan also had much to overcome. Selene with the potential loss of her mate and children, and Logan with the same, combined with his lapse in sanity as he fought Sinister. In time the wounds were healed, but Logan knew that his feral side now lay closer to the surface, and struggled often to keep it in check.

As for James, he did as well as could be expected, but never fully recovered from Sinister's touch on his life. In time he grew to understand the love of his family, as well as to not treat every stranger as a potential lethal threat. Throughout his life he retained his fierce loyalty to his pack (which eventually grew to include some members of the X-Men). He also maintained an eternal determination to please his father. 'My father is a great and powerful protector, and I must make him proud,' often ran through James's head as he strove to mimic his idol.

The years passed, and Logan and Selene's brood continued to grow. Michael, Liam, and Daniel were thrilled to be big brothers, and loved their roles as protectors. Their pack-mind stayed with them as they grew into adulthood, and when the time came for them to leave the mansion, the Wolf Pack struck out, following in their parents' footsteps as vigilante heroes, trotting the globe and protecting the weak.

Soon after the incident with Sinister, Colin and Conner were born. The twins grew quickly, topping out at over six feet tall each, superbly strong and powerfully built, almost like a pair of bears. The twins, undoubtedly the sweetest pair of souls, preferred to avoid trouble, but eventually followed their brothers' footsteps as they graduated and went out to rid the world of evil.

After Colin and Conner came another set of twins, David and John, whose copper red hair and clever streak easily pegged them as fox ferals. The pair relished in playing pranks, and eventually worked their way through Canada before joining Alpha Flight.

A few years after the birth of David and John, Sean, Kevin, and Jacob were born. The trio were sweet and clever, but mostly kept to themselves. Like their older brothers, they worked in a pack mind, but their smaller, slimmer stature earned them the label "The Coyotes". The Coyotes grew to handsome young men, and decided to stay on with the X-Men when they came of age.

After a while, the heat periods began to fade away. Logan and Selene began to believe that they had seen their last pregnancy, but one surprise was left in store for the pair. Long after her brothers had entered their teenage years, Rose was born, much to the surprise of her extensive family (who believed that Selene could only carry boys). Rose inherited her father's eyes, as well as his temper, and she quickly had daddy wrapped around her little finger. She grew into the beautiful heroine, Lynx, and broke as many heroes' hearts as she broke villain's bones.

In the end, James became more like his father than Logan would have liked. As he grew into adulthood he remained aloof, a loner to any who had not earned his trust, and even then his was a hard shell to crack. He left the mansion eventually, and entered the world almost as a second Wolverine, a fierce fighter, a passionate lover, an eternal loner, and protector of the weak. The difference between the two, however, was that James knew he had a safe haven and loving family to return to, and he could always be relied on for his many siblings' birthdays, graduations, and weddings, as well as the occasional mission with the X-Men.

Logan and Selene watched their twelve children grow and go off to save the world, some even began bringing wives and grandchildren back to the mansion. Sinister and his experiments, the tortures and facilities, all the running and fighting that had plagued their lives, had actually turned out for the best. Eventually, Beast discovered that Sinister's experiments had significantly extended Selene's lifespan, and, the two realized, the dark, cold cell with its screeching door had not only united them in the first place, but it had given them their family.

Together, Selene and Logan had been able to return from the darkness, and they and their descendents lived very happily for many years.

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AN: Whoa, I can't believe it's finished. First of all, thank you all so much for reading, I'm just pleased as punch that people have stuck with me as long as y'all have! This epilogue will be the last chapter of the story, HOWEVER, I will update an Author's Note in a few days to address any remaining questions that may come up in the reviews. I will continue to update that AN page as often as new questions arise, but, other than that, we have officially seen the end of Return from Darkness. I do not expect to write a sequel, because the story just seems to be complete in my head, but who knows, maybe a bug will bite me someday and I'll dig around with it some more. At present, I have some other story ideas that are rustling around in my brain, so keep an eye out for me! :)

X XRoweenaJAugustineX x, Blackbeautystealer13, Beautifulmess2005, freeprincess, Blueangel, Carlypso, Deal, and xXMelloxRebekahXx: Thanks, as ever, for your fantastic reviews. Y'all set the bar high, and I hope the story concluded to your standards.

Lamminator: Loved your comment, made me giggle. To clarify, this epilogue will be the last chapter. I've answered some questions, but I've purposely left some loose ends open for interpretation. Hope you enjoyed it. :)

Chandraleila: The idea of a James-centric sequel has struck me before, but I don't think I'll be pursuing it at this time. I think it's safe to assume that James operates much like Logan does (but a lot less angsty :P ), and I'm sure that James has been on many exciting adventures, I'm just not privy to any of them at the moment. :P For now, I'd say it probably won't happen, but you never know.


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